


Behind Bars

by musix



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Modern Universe, Murder, Murder-Suicide, Prison
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-02-13 11:58:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2149923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musix/pseuds/musix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robbing a bank is stupid. Getting caught sucks. Getting put into an inescapable prison sucks too. But having a cute blonde princess to share your metal cell with might not suck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will contain darker themes such as murder, mental illness, and emotional/physical/sexual abuse. If any of these are unnerving or uncomfortable for you to read please do not hesitate to avoid this.

_"This court finds the defendant guilty, for the murder of two citizens, the injury of several officers, violent resistance, and attempted fraud." The judge dropped his gavel with a loud crack that echoed in the huge room. The dark haired woman standing before him grimaced at her sentence but said nothing as two officers grabbed her shoulders and led her out of the room._

 The bus hit a bump in the dirt road, tearing her out of her memories and into the present. She was on a prison bus filled with convicts like her. All of them were chained together by the ankles and each wore a pair of shackles on their wrists.

"Hey girl!" The voice of someone behind her. She didn't respond, she looked down at her shackles in apathy.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! What's a girl like you doing on a bus to hell?"

"Eren, shut up!" Another voice shouted out.

Fuck off Marco! I want to know! You hear me? What'd you do to get stuck on this trip to Satan's Shitter?"

This Eren guy had a knack for names she'd give him that. Finally out of boredom she turned her head to address his shouting. It was a guy, looking a year or two younger than her. His dark hair was fucked up to say the least and his eyes held a type of insanity she didn't know existed. "I robbed a bank and ended up killing a couple people."

The crazed man laughed. "That's it? I'm in here for slitting a guy from his chin to his dick! Bet you didn't get the life sentence like I did!"

She did though. She prayed to any god out there to listen she didn't have to deal with this guy when she got to the prison.

"What's your name girl?" Eren asked.

"Ymir."

"Well Ymir, you better hope we don't have to bunk together in the same cell or you'll be sporting a smile like good 'ol Joker himself!"

Ymir did her best to drone out his insane cackling and silently thanked Marco who slammed his own shackles into Eren's forehead to get him to shut up.

She nodded to him as a way of saying 'thanks' and received a nod in return.

The guy sitting next to her turned and narrowed his eyes. "So you robbed a bank? You do it alone or with a crew?"

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Jean."

Ymir scoffed. "Yeah I had a crew. Two of them got away, one died and the other ones in chains like me. What'd you do?"

Jean frowned. "I shot a guy."

Ymir raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Jean nodded. "Caught him sleeping with my girl so I shot him in the head and tried to hide the gun in a trashcan. Some kid found it and gave it to his parents. Didn't take long for the cops to get word of it, and then get me."

Ymir shook her head. "Tough luck."

"Yeah. Looking back on it now, I wish I hadn't killed the guy. I still hate his guts. Hope he rots in hell."

Ymir shifted her feet. "What about your girl? She slept with some other guy. Is it really the dude's fault or your lying girlfriend's fault?"

Jean scowled. "I hate her too. I told her I did. But I don't like hurting girls so I didn't kill her."

"Well you sound perfectly sane."

Jean laughed, "Compared to who? Eren over there? That guy probably did a lot worse than just cut a guy in half. If you ask me, he's probably into Necrophilia too."

"Gross."

The bus skidded to a halt suddenly and Ymir resisted the urge to complain about the chain on her ankle cutting into her skin. An officer boarded the bus and opened the gate that separated the driver from the scary prison-bound monsters in the back.

"Well don't you all look like a bunch of happy campers!" Ymir wondered if his voice could get any louder. "My name is Keith Shadis and while I might look like an ordinary cop, I assure you I'm here to make the rest of your fucking lives hell."

Ymir rolled her eyes. The guy was acting like he was in some bad ass cop movie. She heard him unlock the chains from the bus and start barking orders to convicts and officers alike. It didn't take long for them to leave the bus and get pushed towards their new home. The trip wasn't too bad despite Eren yanking on his side of the chains that held all their ankles and causing Marco's leg to turn a direction it probably shouldn't.

An officer made the entire group stop to check Marco's leg before giving the go ahead. Eren only managed to pull his tendon. Nothing serious.

Ymir took this chance to look around their new residence and maybe find any blind spots in security. They were surrounded by a god knows how tall wall with guard towers everywhere. The new prisoners were in what looked like a giant dirt courtyard that surrounded a huge building Ymir assumed was the main prison itself. Guessing from the several basketball courts nearby they would release prisoners into the courtyard so they didn't go crazy in their cells. There were only a few people outside other than her and her new friends and they all seemed to ignore the new arrivals.

Jean was looking around in front of her too. He tilted his head towards the huge building when he caught Ymir starring and turned his own attention to it as well.

A dozen more guards surrounded them and herded them into the prison like cattle. Time to see their cells.

**-**

"Prisoner 1008 this is your cell. You're sharing it with Prisoner 479. Ymir narrowed her eyes at the guard pulling her towards her cell. He was a younger guy, not much older than her and he seemed dead set on looking like a robot. He pulled his keys from his pocket and opened the cell, shoved her inside and locked it behind her. "You're cellmate is out in the courtyard so get comfortable while you can. She'll fill you in on how things work here."

Ymir waited until he was gone before looking around. The cell wasn't half bad. There was two bunk beds, one on each side and sink between them. Ymir wondered if there wasn't a toilet in the cell for a reason but figured she could find out later. There was a small window near the top of the cell with bars keeping her from crawling out.

Ymir sighed, sitting down on the bed farthest from the cell door and rubbed her wrists. She wasn't cuffed anymore but there were still red marks from where they dug into her skin. Suddenly an alarm sounded and a woman's voice spoke over the announcement system.

"All prisoners return to your cells. All prisoners return to your cells." Ymir tried to drone out the repetitive voice and waited for her cellmate to show up.

Sure enough the cell door opened and a figure stepped inside. The first thing Ymir noticed was the metal collar around the person's neck that had a glowing circle on its side that matched the green light that was now lit up above the cell door. The second thing she noticed was the blue eyes this person had that they were currently using to stare into her soul. The third thing she noticed was how cold the metal ground was and how much her jaw hurts.

"Did you just kick me in the face?" She asked dumbstruck as she sat up.

"You were on my bed." The voice responded.

Ymir stood up slowly, rubbing her jaw and glared down at her cellmate. They were much shorter than herself, barely reaching her shoulder. They had long blonde hair and wore the standard orange uniform they had all inmates wear. Ymir was prepared to teach this girl not to deal with her when they turned around and looked up at her with the most irritated face Ymir had ever seen.

"You messed up my bed!" She shouted at Ymir who was in truth, terrified.

"I-" She was interrupted by the shorter woman's huff of anger.

"Whatever I'll deal with it later. What's your name?"

"Ymir. You?"

"Historia Christina-Lenz Reiss. You can just call me Krista though." She held her hand out to shake Ymir's and only had to wait a couple seconds until Ymir finally realized what to do.

"So what's a kid like you doing in prison?"

Krista laughed, "You don't know who I am? I guess that's not a huge surprise. I did most of the deeds in Germany. Bet they wished they got a hold of me before America did."

"What?"

Krista looked up at Ymir with her puppy dog blue eyes and smiled. "I'm on death row for the murder of 15 people!"

**_"What?!"_ **


	2. Chapter 2

"You're a fucking killer? You're a murderer?" Ymir was pushing herself against the cold wall in an effort to get as far from her cellmate as possible.

"What are you screaming about? I swear my last cellmate didn't cry nearly as much as you."

"What happened to them?" Ymir dared to ask.

One of the real crazies caught her on the way to the courtyard. Slit her throat with one of the shivs he probably got from Connie. She was in here for the murder of one of his friends. She was innocent."

Ymir narrowed her eyes. "How do you know?"

"I have my ways." The small blonde smiled and Ymir felt a cold chill go down her back.

"Look, I don't want to cause any problems. I'm in here for life and the last thing I want it to get stabbed by a cute girl like you."

Krista sat down on her bed neatly and sighed. "You think I'm cute? That's adorable. But you can breathe with ease. I don't murder people who are like me." The short woman swung her feet like a child.

Ymir felt the tension leave her shoulders, replaced by an uncomfortable feeling. "What do you mean?"

Krista was on her feet and standing over Ymir within seconds. God knows how she was able to sweep Ymir's feet out from under her so quickly but more concerning matters demanded her attention.

"I saw your report. They let me see thanks to some persuasion." Krista lowered herself so she was sitting on Ymir's hips and placed her hand on the nervous woman's chest. "You killed two civilians to rob a bank and fought like hell to get out of there. You're a murderer." She bent over to whisper in Ymir's ear ever so softly. "Just like me."

Ymir shuddered when she felt Krista's warm breath on her neck. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, she just froze, praying this goddess would spare her. A clanging noise made both of them twist their heads over to look at the iron bars that in cased them. A man with a scraggly goatee was banging his keys against the metal and smiling in dull amusement.

"Playing safe with your new cellmate I hope."

Krista laughed. "Of course Nile. And what brings you to our little cell?"

The man pulled a metal collar out from behind him and pressed a small button on the side, causing it to open. "Got to give your friend her own collar. After that, you two can go out to the courtyard to do whatever the hell you do."

Krista got off Ymir and grabbed her arm to haul her towards Nile. He opened the cell door and clipped the metal device onto her neck. It was painful at first but became more comfortable after a few seconds. Nile clicked something on the side that made a green light flash twice.

"There, all done. Krista can explain how that works." He left quickly, leaving the door wide open and Ymir wasn't entirely sure how this prison was so lenient with what their inmates did.

"Come on Freckles. Let's go play outside." Krista yanked on Ymir's hair and tugged her along as she excited the cell and led her along the path.

The room they were in was huge. Cells lined up next to each other, separated by a few feet of solid metal. The path they were walking along had railing on the opposite side, allowing you to look up to the rows above them, and down to the cells below. Everything was metal or concrete and the few officers she saw were doing what Nile had been and clamping collars on the new inmates.

Her observations were cut short when a hand grabbed her shirt and yanked her into the metal bars. Cold hands wrapped around her neck and Ymir saw Krista spin around to find out what was going on.

"Well if it isn't the new meat? Hanging around the Goddess like that? You should be punished."

"Let her go Armin. She's my new cellmate."

The hands immediately released her and Ymir finally was able to look at her attacker. He looked like a relative of Krista's but his eyes were a whole different kind of crazy. He leaned against the bars and looked at Ymir. "Be careful around here Freckles. There's a couple of us here who wouldn't mind ripping your teeth out."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ymir responded, followed Krista down the path, still feeling Armin's eyes burning into the back of her skull.

"I'm sorry my friend was so mean to you. Wait until you meet my other friends. They're much nicer than he is." Krista hummed happily as she skipped along, making Ymir more and more nervous.

They got into an elevator at the end of the metal walkway and went down to the ground level. Ymir made note of the level her cell was on, 104. Krista drug her out of the elevator when the door opened and suddenly she was in the courtyard. It was nice compared to some of the detention centers she'd been to. There was green grass and shady trees. Benches and tables were scattered around. It looked like a park. Next to the park was several basketball courts with one being occupied by several inmates. A little farther off was an area designed for weight training. Krista was leading her towards that area, ignoring the whoops and shouts directed towards her.

"Mikasa! Come look at my new cellmate! Her name's Ymir!"

A muscular woman, wearing a white tank top instead of the orange jacket they were given looked up from the large weight in her hand. She curled her arm slowly as her grey eyes looked Ymir up and down before she smiled to Krista.

"Hello Krista. You're new cellmate looks nice. I hope you've been well to them."

"Oh I have, don't worry. She's already met Armin today so I thought she'd like to meet you too."

Mikasa put the weight down and stood up. She was just a little shorter than Ymir herself but her muscles put her own to shame. "Good to meet you Ymir. Did Krista tell you anything about me?"

Ymir accepted the handshake and was pleased to know that her hand wasn't broken during the exchange. "She told me her friends were very nice." She heard Krista giggle and tried to shake the nervous feeling she felt creeping up her back.

"She tell you what I'm in here for?" Ymir shook her head. "I murdered the men who killed my parents. I spent years tracking them down and finally found them in the military. Slit their throats in their sleep and was charged with murder." She gave a small smile. "What are you in for?"

"Bank robbery. Killed a couple people and tried to get away." Mikasa laughed and patted her shoulder.

"You didn't get far enough I guess. Welcome to the family. Come on, I'll show you around. For safety reasons. Krista's got everyone wrapped around her finger, I'm just a little extra incentive."

"Thanks." Ymir was lead on by the two women, knowing her best chance was sticking with them. They led her across the entire courtyard, educating her on how the system worked here.

"You're allowed to leave your cell at any time of the day. Most new inmates take this opportunity to try and escape. Don't feel bad if you do, we all did at one point. Anyway the only areas that are off limits are the guard's living area and the big man upstairs. It's pretty difficult to get up there in the first place without any security guard there to guide you. The codes on doors that are locked change the password every day so stealing a code isn't worth your time. The guards also have a built in device that signals others if there's a problem and it only requires their thoughts to set it off so taking a hostage isn't worth it either." Mikasa led them to a picnic table under a tree and motioned for them to sit down. "Usually the newbies have to figure this out on their own but you got lucky enough to get a cell with Krista so you get an easier first day."

Ymir while listening to Mikasa was painfully aware of how close the short blonde was to her. Krista didn't seem to be making a big deal about it but it made Ymir get goose bumps.

"So Ymir," Krista looked up at her. "Tell us about your life before you got thrown in here. You're our friend now and we'll share with you if you share with us."

"Uhm, well..." Ymir scratched the back of her head nervously. "I grew up in the city with my dad. I don't know where my mom went but she left me when I was born. My dad went missing when I was six so I was moved to an orphanage after that. After I'd beat up this kid they put me in a home for bad girls that probably turned me gay. I lived there until I was 16 and legally able to leave. I hit a rough patch and the only way out of it was to get some money fast."

"Bank robbery sounds pretty old fashioned don't you think?"

"I had no real intention of surviving it so I didn't care. I guess I should have told me crew that. Only one of them got caught though. Another got shot. The other two are out free, probably more than pissed about what I did."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "What did you do? How'd that one person get shot?"

Ymir frowned. "I put the guy in a position to get shot. It was instant death. Right through the head. I was the only one who saw it and I knew what I was doing. Seconds later the cops stormed the building and we had to make a getaway."

"That sounds fun! How far did you get?" Krista asked curiously.

"We hid from the cops for almost a week. Damn miracle we survived that long. We split up after that. The little money we had got split too. We would meet up in Mexico in one of the cities. One of our guys knew a place where we could live without any real trouble. They made it across alright but I got caught, along with my friend." Ymir was looking off in the distance, rattling off her story like some anime protagonist.

Mikasa's question brought Ymir back to them. "Who was the person who got caught with you?"

"A short blonde with a nose that could rival an elephant." Ymir laughed. "Her name was Annie Leohardt."

Mikasa smiled. "So you're the shit talking freckle face that she was talking about!"

"Excuse me?"

"Looks like the higher ups put you and your little friend in the same jail! How nice of them!" Mikasa was standing up when Ymir fumbled with her words.

"She's here? Annie is here? Where? Is she in bad shape?" Ymir heard Krista giggle behind her but chose to ignore it.

Mikasa just shrugged. "She's my new cellmate. She came in awfully angry so I left her alone. If you want I can take you to her. It'll give me a chance to show you where my cell is."

"Yeah Mikasa! That sounds like a good idea! Freckles needs to see more of her new friends anyway." Krista without warning grabbed Ymir's wrist and yanked her up from the table.

"You've got a really strong grip." Ymir noted quietly.

Krista didn't comment, instead she started walking with Mikasa towards the elevator that had brought them down in the first place.

Ymir was surprised to know the Mikasa's cell was on the same level as her's. Krista was still clinging to her wrist but she wasn't pulling her along. Feeling a burst of courage Ymir leaned down and whispered. "You know if you wanted to hold my hand you could have just asked."

Krista didn't respond but she did shift her grip so that it was holding Ymir's hand instead of bruising her wrist. They passed by a lot of cells, Mikasa or Krista greeting those they saw inside and introducing their new "friend".

They passed Ymir's own cell after a while and finally came to a halt a couple cells down from where she now would call home. Mikasa went into the cell, putting her hand up to tell the two behind her to wait. The door shut quietly behind her, leaving Ymir to listen to the shouting or chattering from other inmates.

"Ymir, are you scared?" Krista asked, looking up at the taller woman.

"No." It was a lie. This whole situation was terrifying. She was in a nut house basically. These people weren't prisoners as much as they were psychos. Even the cute girl holding her hand was a convicted murderer!

"It's almost supper time so when we meet Annie we should go to the cafeteria! Maybe she'll come with us! You'll also get to meet my other friends who aren't on this floor. They're much older than I am."

"Alright."

**-**

Inside the cell Mikasa was standing in front of her cell mate's bed. She was in the same position she had left her in and refused to move.

"I brought someone you might want to meet.'

"Fuck off Ackerman. I'm tired."

"You can't sit like a rock all day idiot. Get up and talk to Freckles."

"Freckles?" The blonde woman looked over her shoulder at Mikasa and sighed. "I said fuck off."

"You have to get up anyway. It's almost supper and I'm not going to bring you back food. Get up!" Mikasa grabbed the back of Annie's orange jacket and pulled her off the bed.

The blonde woman immediately jumped to her feet and sent a kick straight into Mikasa's ribs.

The taller woman grinned. "Glad you're awake." She said holding her side in pain. "Let's go."

Annie's emotionless face fell for a split second. "You pissed me off to the point where I'd attack you just to get me up? You're an idiot."

"Krista used to say that too." She straightened up and smiled. "Short blondes like me I guess."

Outside, Ymir jumped when the cell door finally opened and she met the eyes of the friend who had her future torn away from her. She expected to be punched, kicked, slapped, scratched, anything, but she wasn't. Annie just looked tired.

"Annie-." Ymir was cut off when her cold eyes met hers.

"Not now. Let's just go eat."

The cafeteria was on the second to the highest floor. After quite a long explanation, Ymir learned that certain floors had lunch in a specific cafeteria. There were several of them and each one had at least four floors to feed. As they entered through the doors a line greeted them. It wasn't too long but it certainly wasn't desirable. They got in line and Ymir followed dumbly behind her "friends".

"Hey Ymir?" It was Krista. "I have a question. It's kind of personal but you're going to be living with me for the rest of my life so I think I'm allowed to ask."

The freckled woman raised her eyebrow and shrugged. "Ask away."

"What genders do you like to sleep with? And by sleep I mean have sex, not just cuddling in a bed." They moved forward in line, Krista patiently waiting for an answer.

Before Ymir could give her one, she was interrupted.

"She's into all of them." Annie looked over her shoulder and smiled. "But she prefers a good old fashion vagina."

Krista giggled, picking up a tray while Ymir grumbled lowly. "You didn't have to be so open about it asshole."

"You weren't saying that a week ago."

"Annie!"

"You did say that though."

"Oh! Ymir did you want to sleep in Annie's cell tonight?"

Ymir shook her head at Krista. "No!"

Krista tilted her head. "So you and Annie were together before?"

"I don't want to answer this." Ymir sighed heavily.

Annie answered for her anyway. "Not technically. But when we were on the run tensions were high and most of the time we were pretty drunk. It's only natural we'd do something stupid together."

Ymir gave a gasp in fake shock. "You thought our time together in the back of that van was stupid? Annie I'm hurt. And here I thought we could get prison married and live our life happily behind bars."

Everyone turned their heads when Mikasa gave a little laugh. When she noticed she shrugged and said, "I thought it was funny."

Annie shrugged. "Anyway it was just a fling we'd have every now and then. Nothing serious."

Ymir grinned. "Are you trying to let everyone know you're single?"

As the line moved forward Annie only whispered, "I'm here for life, might as well get comfortable."

"Alright, would you rather eat an entire watermelon that's been rotting in the sun for two days or get tazed by one of the guards for five minutes." Krista watched her friends think about her question as they ate their lunch.

"Watermelon. The tazers here hurt worse than any upset stomach I'd get from a rotten watermelon."

"I'm with Mikasa. Watermelon." Annie added.

"I was going to say watermelon but fuck it I'll be different. Tazed for five minutes." Annie turned to Ymir with a curious look but only got a shrug in response.

Satisfied with the answers Krista looked to Mikasa. "Your turn."

"Would you rather never have sex again for the rest of your life, or be blind for the rest of your life?"

Annie looked up, "How blind do you get? Full on blind where there's nothing but blackness or the type of blind where everything is blurred to the extreme."

"Total darkness. You have to wear the glasses and carry the cane and everything."

All at once the three inmates answered, "Go blind."

Mikasa nodded, "I agree as well." She motioned for Annie to go next, stuffing more food into her mouth.

The blonde thought for a second before speaking. "Would you rather live forever but be poor for all eternity, or be rich but only live 20 years?"

"Oh, that one's deep." Ymir commented.

Mikasa and Krista seemed to be in deep thought whole Ymir kept her thought process relaxed.

The smallest blonde answered. "I'd be poor and live forever."

"I would too. Someone has to look out for Krista." The short girl smiled at her dark haired friend while Ymir rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I guess I'd be poor too."

A bell rang making Ymir and Annie jump in surprise. Mikasa and Krista merely got up from their table and led the two newer inmates out of the building.

"Mikasa," Annie tugged on the woman's shirt. "Shouldn't we clean up our trays?"

"No. The inmates who like working instead of sleeping in their cells will take care of it."

Just as the four women opened the door Ymir felt a solid mass of muscles slam into her. She flew backwards and cracked her head against the metal ground, the weight pinning her down.

_"You little bitch! I found you!"_

"Oh fuck not you!"

Eren was on top of Ymir, glaring into her skull and breathing heavily. She could have sworn she saw him twitch a couple times. He lifted his fist to drive it into her teeth when the collar of his jacket was yanked backwards suddenly. He gave a strangled noise of surprise as his body was thrown off of Ymir's and onto the ground.

Mikasa knelt down next to the freckled woman and checked her head for injury while Annie watched Krista glare coldly down at her attacker. It'd surprised none of the veteran inmates that Krista had been the one to attack. It only surprised Annie and Ymir, possibly Eren as he lay dazed on the floor.

"Touch Ymir like that again and I'll twist your arm off." The threat made him freeze in shock and slowly rise to his feet. His anger was gone, replaced by fear and confusion at being taken down by such a short woman.

He didn't move until Marco and Jean grabbed his arms and pushed him into the lunch line with enough force to slam him against the wall.

The line moved on as if nothing happened and Ymir let Mikasa and Annie pull her onto her feet.

"I see you made a friend on the way here." Mikasa noted.

"No. He's just crazy." Ymir gently shrugged off Annie's hand that was resting on her shoulder, an action both Mikasa and Krista noticed.

Ymir felt her arm get tugged lightly and turned to see Krista grabbing her sleeve.

"We have to go back to our cells. It's time to sleep."

Feeling annoyed by the situation, Ymir just followed her.

When they got to their cells Ymir remembered how painful Krista's kick had been when she sat on her bed only an hour or two ago. Krista noticed her hesitation.

"Are you sure you would prefer to sleep in here rather than with Annie?"

"I'm fine. Am I allowed to sleep on the top bunk or is that part of your space too?"

Krista frowned. "They're both my bed. The only time you'll ever get to sleep here is if I'm cuddled up next to you."

Ymir just sat on the bunk across from her and sighed heavily. She was about to lay down to drift off to sleep when she was slapped across the face.

"Didn't you hear me?"

Ymir held her face in pain and glared at her cell mate. “I’m not fucking on your bunk bed! This one is across the fucking cell!"

"The bed you're on is cold and uncomfortable. You're sleeping with me."

Ymir let herself be pulled onto her feet and pushed onto Krista's bed. The shorter woman climbed into the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around Ymir as if they were lovers. Ymir felt disgust rise in her chest as Krista held her tightly. The last time she'd ever been with a woman was with Annie and at least she knew Annie well and wasn't abused by her.

"Ymir you're not going to fall asleep if you keep your muscles all tensed up like that."

Hesitantly Ymir let her arms fall into a more comfortable position around Krista and closed her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning was distinctly more annoying than Ymir expected. She cracked one eye open only to get a crack across the skull from a slap. She shot up from the bed and slammed her head into the bunk above her. The river of swears followed didn't impress her cell mate at all.

"Get up Freckles. We've got to get ready." Krista was already awake and standing near the cell door.

"Did you slap me?" Ymir asked as the pain started to fade.

"You wouldn't wake up. I could have done worse though so I'd be grateful if I were you."

The taller of the two scowled at the threat, at least she took it as one. "Where are we going?"

As she stood up from the bed the blonde waited patiently. "The showers. You're allowed to get a different style of the uniform too. The earlier we go the better it'll be."

"Well aren't you helpful."

Krista led her out of their cell and towards the elevator. Most of the inmates that they passed were sleeping or stumbling around trying to wake up. They were ignored by the shorter woman entirely as she strode down the path. It almost unnerved Ymir at how she'd changed from an "innocent" girl to this seemingly uncaring woman. What happened while she was sleeping?

The elevator ride was shorter than before as they stopped a few floors below the cafeteria. Silently the two stepped out of the elevator and took in the sight.

Two doors stood in front of them, one showing a more feminine figure and the other showing a more masculine one.

"You're allowed to choose which room to use but you're responsible for what happens on the other side."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Krista just shrugged and walked through the more feminine marked door. Ymir saw no reason to stray from her guide and followed.

The room was moderately sized. A huge rack filled with white towels was on the left and the rest of the room was reserved for the dozens of showers. Another door was located past the showers which sparked a hint of curiosity in the darker woman.

Ymir's gaze shifted back to Krista but she inhaled sharply when she took in what the blonde was doing.

"Something wrong Ymir? We are here to shower aren't we?" Krista stood in front of her completely nude.

"I didn't think you'd being undressing in front of me." Ymir stopped herself from looking Krista up and down when the sudden reminder that she was a murderer returned.

"Where am I going to undress? This is the only place to keep our clothes dry. Now take your clothes off."

The order was followed before Ymir even realized what she was doing. After she'd stripped off her clothes she followed Krista to the corner if the room and watched how she turned on the shower. The water was cold at first but slowly grew warmer as time passed. A small indent in the wall housed the soaps needed for washing properly so Ymir went to work.

Once or twice her gaze wandered over to Krista who seemed more concentrated on her hair than where Ymir was looking.

After some time of cleaning Krista suddenly looked up at Ymir who fumbled with the soap in her hands at the sudden realization that she'd been busted.

"See something interesting?"

"Yes. No!"

Ymir stepped backwards when Krista stepped forward. Before she knew it her back was against the wall and Krista was standing in front of her. The water from the shower still falling on them as Ymir prepared for a slap or worse. She didn't expect warm hands to suddenly press against her stomach.

"So disappointing that my height limits my actions sometimes."

"What?"

"We'll fix that problem later I suppose." The hands traveled down to Ymir's hips. Krista smiled when she felt a slight tremor from the taller woman.

Suddenly the hands were pulled back and Krista looked Ymir up and down. "Finish your shower. The others will be awake soon."

Ymir murmured a soft "Yes Ma'am" before she realized what she'd said and stopping suddenly in her thoughts.

Krista only giggled softly, turning off her shower and walked to the towels.

**-**

"Nice clothes. And your hair looks nicer." Annie commented as she sat down across from her friend.

After the shower incident Ymir had been completely silent. Krista showed her the different clothes she could choose that still fit the uniform critique. She'd swapped out her orange jumpsuit for pants of the same color and a button up orange shirt over a white tank top. They'd joined Mikasa and Annie in the courtyard soon after and were relaxing as best as they could.

"Thanks. Your hair looks nice too. Mikasa take you to the showers?"

"She did." Annie looked over to Mikasa who was showing Krista how to flex properly. "You won't get jealous if I told you I might have a thing for that idiot would you?"

Ymir shook her head. "You're my friend. I'll only be supportive of you."

"How sweet."

"Shove it."

Annie smiled. "So what's up with you and Krista?"

"You expecting me to confess a crush on her like you just did? The bitch is a murderer. She could kill me at any second! We sleep next to each other and if one day she decided I'm an annoyance I'm dead."

Annie looked shocked but sighed. "Mikasa says she acts different around you. She probably likes you so you're safe until she gets executed. And since we don't know when her date is it could be from days to years." The blonde grew silent when she noticed their cell mates returning.

"I hope it’s days." Ymir mumbled.

"Hey you two! Having fun gossiping?" Mikasa sat next to Annie and smiled. "Today's a special day."

Krista, who'd seated herself next to Ymir nodded. "A very special day! The older inmates finished their investigation! They can come out and play!"

"Investigation?" Annie questioned.

Krista answered. "About two weeks ago they found the body of a guy who called himself a Pastor. He wasn't all that holy though since he's in here for doing naughty things with minors."

"And they've been trying to find the person who killed him. Because he never left his cell they narrowed it down to the older inmates on his floor and the floors above and below." Mikasa added.

"But now it's done! My friends can say hello!" Krista giggled with excitement, bumping Ymir softly and causing her to flinch.

"Sorry Ymir. I know you're still freaked out about how we do things. You'll get used to it!"

The freckled woman just huffed and turned her gaze to Mikasa. "When are these new inmates rejoining us?"

"Should be soon."

Speak of the devil a soft chime went off and the group turned towards the elevator hoisting inmates from the courtyard to their cells. A mass of people walked out, looking significantly larger and more dangerous than the younger prisoners.

Several figures broke away from the group and made their way to the watching women.

"Well if it isn't my favorite little killer!" Shouted one person as they grew near.

Krista smiled and stood up from her seat to give her friend a hug. "I missed you Hange!"

Ymir rolled her eyes and turned her focus to the several other people who'd joined them. Only her and Annie remained silent as their friends talked with the new people.

"Levi, I'm glad they finally let you out." Mikasa was saying as she patted the top of his head. "Would you all like to meet our new friends?"

The tallest man sniffed loudly.

Mikasa sat down next to Annie again. "This is Annie, and that's Ymir. They've only been here a few days but I'd say they're fitting in well."

A short man spoke to Ymir first. "I'm Levi. The two towers behind me are Erwin and Mike. The short one is Petra and the hyper one talking with Krista is Hange."

"Yo." Ymir rested her chin on her hand and tried to pretend she wasn't nervous. That effort was wasted when Petra grabbed her shoulder and sat next to her.

"How are you feeling? You don't look well."

"I'm fine." The taller woman huffed.

For an hour the older and younger veteran prisoners spoke to try and catch up while Annie and Ymir avoided conversation. Finally after waiting in boredom Ymir saw get chance to get away.

She stood suddenly and pointed at the basketball court. "I'm going to go play the next game."

Annie nodded, standing up as well. "I'll go too."

They walked to the court and ignored the odd stares they no doubt had attracted.

"Thanks for leaving with me." Ymir whispered.

"The really tall one kept staring at me. I'm more grateful that you suggested to leave." Annie whispered back.

The stopped at the edge of the court and watched the two teams pass the ball back and forth to evade their rivals. Ymir's stomach dropped when she saw the walking shit storm that was Eren, score a point. That seemed to be the end of the game as they all broke away. Eren however stayed where he was the second he saw Ymir.

A challenge in his eyes he beckoned her over and smiled when she did so.

"Well if it isn't my favorite bitch. Wanting to play a game? In fact, I want you to play a game. One on one. Winner gets the cute little girl who's always hanging onto your ass."

Ymir laughed. "She kicked your ass last time. What makes you think you can handle her?"

Eren seemed annoyed by her laugh but roughly shoved the ball into her arms. "I don't need to handle her. Only keep her out of my way."

"Fine. I'll play your game. But Annie gets to be on my team."

"I said one on one! Two against one isn't fair!"

Ymir gave the ball to Annie as she walked over and smiled. "Better find your ass a team member then."

Ten minutes later, Jean joined the game. Despite his previous annoyance with Eren it seemed they'd learned how to coexist without bloodshed.

"First team to 20 points wins." Annie announced. "I think it's customary for the ladies to go first."

Ymir smiled. "It is Annie. Wouldn't you agree boys?"

Jean, who actually was playing the game to have some enjoyment nodded. "I'm cool with that."

Annie took the role of point guard while Ymir chose center as the best position to play. She was close to the chain net and her height gave her an advantage over Eren.

Annie dribbled the ball three times before moving forward. Jean kept his weight on his toes, ready to deflect any pass she made.

With a trick move she made Jean think she was going right, only to spin around to the left and score a point.

"Damn that was nice!" Jean commented. "You play basketball before getting locked up here?"

Annie nodded. "Had my own team and everything." Ymir recovered the ball and threw it to Annie who passed it to Jean.

"Your turn."

The beginning of the game started out mostly on friendly terms, mainly between Jean and Annie who held no animosity towards each other. Ymir and Eren however had "accidentally" slammed their elbow into the other's jaw or rib once or twice.

The score was 10-13 with Ymir and Annie in the lead.

Jean gave the small blonde no room to shoot and forced her to pass to Ymir who ran in for a layup, making the basket and knocking Eren down in the process.

"Foul you bitch!"

"Stay out of my way next time!"

One too many taunts started the fight. Eren launched himself at Ymir and slammed her onto the concrete. She barely registered the pain in her back as she kicked his ankles out from under him, causing him to join her on the ground. Thinking fast she stood up, hauling Eren with her and threw him into the pole holding the basketball net.

"Keep playing these games Eren and you're gonna end up hurt." Ymir watched him recover from his slam into the pole and turn towards her. The look on his face made Ymir nervously take a step back.

**"I'll kill you!"**

Thoroughly done with Eren and his shit Ymir snarled back. "Try it dickweed!"

Eren lunged again, missing Ymir by inches when she stepped to the side and slammed her knee into his head. He didn't fall back, instead lunging again and landing three punches to her ribs before twisting her arm behind her back.

Ymir pushed Eren against the pole hard enough for him to let go of her arm and turned around to punch him again but was caught off guard when Eren extended his arms and wrapped his hands around her neck.

The pressure around her neck increased by the second and Ymir saw her vision start to blur. She fell to her knees while her attacker smiled down at her. With her last burst of energy she flipped Eren onto his back and was able to rip his fingers off of his neck. She crunched his nose with her fist and smashed his jaw with her other fist.

She stood up and slammed her foot into his ribs and took a step back. Eren lay on the concrete with a disfigured nose and blood trailing from his mouth. But he was still breathing so she hasn't killed him.

With her hand rubbing the dark marks around her neck, Ymir turned to her right and saw Krista, Annie, and Mikasa standing nearby.

_"What the fuck are you three doing just standing there?"_

Mikasa smiled. "You didn't need the help."

"He was strangling me!"

"And you slammed his ass into the ground." The muscular woman walked up to Eren's body and nudged his arm with her foot. "You could've killed him if you kept going you know."

"I'm not a murderer."

"I see."

Ymir just huffed angrily and walked over to Annie. "Where'd Jean go?"

"He went to get an officer. That kid's a piece of shit but he needs medical attention." Annie was avoiding Ymir's gaze and it only worried her friend. "You should get your own wounds looked at. You took a couple bad hits to the ribs."

"Yeah. I did."

"Come on tough girl." Krista grabbed Ymir's hand "Annie's right, you need to make sure you're not hurt."

Too tired to object, Ymir just nodded and let Krista her away.

**-**

It wasn't until they got inside the elevator that Ymir noticed they weren't going to the nurse's office. Mikasa had shown her the floor the medical officers were stationed and Krista had chosen a destination three floors above them.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Oh you've noticed?"

"Yes I noticed. My ribs hurt, the least you could do is let a doctor look at them."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you." Krista squeezed her hand softly.

Ymir felt her anxiety levels jump through the roof. She was tired. She was nervous. And Eren's iron grip on her throat had shaken her more than she let on. Being on the edge of consciousness wasn't something she enjoyed.

The doors opened and Ymir almost yelled at herself out loud for jumping. Krista led her out of the doors and into what looked like a storage area. It was dimly lit and large crates were stacked on top of each other. Krista led her to an area of the large room that was suspiciously more comfortable looking. A crate that was smaller than the rest had a large blanket thrown over the top and a make shift bed lay next to it.

"Get on the crate."

Ymir did as she was told and sat on the crate. Immediately Krista's hands were under her shirt and pulled the fabric up.

"Woah! What are you doing?"

"We slept in the same bed and took a shower together. At this point I'd assumed you were at least mildly comfortable with me." When Ymir still didn't relax she sighed. "I'm checking your ribs."

Feeling the tiniest hint of guilt, Ymir just nodded and let Krista remove her shirt. Krista took in the sight of her cell mate's scared torso and examined the large bruise on her side. After feeling around the area and pressing lightly on the darker mark she concluded that her ribs weren't broken.

"You're just bruised badly. You don't need a doctor yet."

"Yet?"

Krista smiled. "Everyone here has had at least one beating from an inmate or from an officer. That boy you fought today just got his first." Krista looked at Ymir's neck and frowned. "I guess you can count this as your first as well."

"Why are we here?"

"It's secluded and only Mikasa and I know about it."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Krista huffed. "You switch from a nervous wreck to an annoying asshole so often it's almost tiring."

Ymir just watched Krista in silence, waiting for her next move.

"Poor baby." Krista murmured as her eyes continued to inspect the dark marks on Ymir's neck that were seen clearly above the collar she had to wear.

"What did you call me?" Ymir's breath caught in her throat when Krista sat down on her lap, facing her and gently caressed her neck.

"Your neck is too pretty to have these awful marks on them." Krista moved her head closer to Ymir's slowly. "The only marks you should have should be from me."

Ymir put her hands on her shoulders to try and push her away but exhaustion kept her from doing much.

"Relax Freckles." She hummed. "I'll make you feel better."

The first kiss sent shivers down Ymir's spine as she was gently pushed onto her back. Disgust filled her when she unintentionally tried to follow Krista's lips when she pulled away.

Since her shirt had been removed beforehand, Krista had no difficulty in drawing little designs on Ymir's skin with her nails. When she grew too close to the bruised area, causing Ymir to tense up, she'd move away from it.

"I won't hurt you Ymir." Those warm hands seemed to melt all her stress away as they traveled from her lower stomach to the center of her back.

"How do I know that?" Finally she'd regained her own tongue. "You're a murderer."

"Don't you remember? You are too. No point in killing the guilty."

"I'm not a murderer."

Krista giggled, sliding her hand down the front of Ymir's pants suddenly. "You can deny it all you want. And when it becomes too difficult for you to bear," Her voice lowered to a whisper. _"I'll be here waiting."_


	4. Chapter 4

When Ymir woke up she was disorienting if anything. The soft breathing of her cell mate on top of her, resting her head against her chest was enough to rouse her from her sleep.

Her first reaction was panic. The only thing keeping her from jumping to her feet was the fear of dropping Krista's head on the floor. The smaller woman seemed comfortable, clinging to Ymir as if she'd float away in the middle of the night.

When Ymir took a deep breath, Krista's eyes opened slowly and she yawned as she stretched her arms. "Good morning." She murmured.

"Morning." Ymir looked around for her clothes and saw them laying nearby with a smaller uniform next to it. Memories from last night's actions rushed back to her and she felt the urge to curl up in a ball.

Krista finally pushed herself off Ymir's naked body and stood to grab their clothes. "We need to get back to our cell. It's Wednesday."

"What happens on Wednesday?"

"Inspection. An officer checks each cell to make sure were not hiding any weapons. But if you do something to rub them the wrong way, you're asking for a beating." The short blonde threw on her clothes and helped Ymir with hers, wasting no time with her work. She seemed focused and uncaring, confusing the other prisoner to an extent. Even Annie had been gentler towards her after their one night stands.

"I'll follow you."

"Good. You're learning fast. Let's go."

**-**

"We made it in time." Krista walked through the cell door and waited for Ymir to follow. "Make sure the beds are made. Button up your shirt. If you want to avoid a broken rib cage don't talk unless asked to and don't be stupid."

Ymir just made a low hum that confirmed she understood and got to work on the beds. When she finished she let Krista fix her appearance to how she saw fit and together they waited on the bottom bunk of Krista's bed.

An awkward silence fell between them as Ymir struggled with what to say. Finally she just went with the easiest solution.

"What are we?"

"Hmm?"

Ymir cleared her throat. "I mean, you slap me one second, then cuddle up next to me afterwards. You act like a bitch to me but then show me how to survive here. Then when I get my ass beat you sleep with me."

She just smiled to herself, not looking at Ymir but at the door. "I like you. You're easy to scare but you still have a little fight in you. It makes you beautiful."

"You and I have very different views of beauty."

"I only want to take care of you. This prison can be scary, and that boy is only the beginning."

A soft chime rang through the prison, a signal for the start of the inspection. One by one, each cell door opened and an officer took to each floor with several guards for good measure.

"Remember what I said. Don't do anything stupid."

"I'll try."

And she honestly did try. But sometimes the punk asshole in Ymir was too strong even for her to tie down.

The officer, she recognized as Shadis from the bus, stood in their cell looking just as ridiculous as she remembered.

"Well Krista looks like your new cell mate is pretty clean. No weapons this time. I feel like we should have a celebration."

Krista didn't say anything.

"You don't think we should have a celebration Krista?"

The older man made a low gruffly noise and slammed his fist into her jaw. She hit the ground immediately, holding herself in pain.

"Still want to play the silent game?"

Krista didn't respond. She looked up to see a heavy boot rise to kick in her face, only for Shadis to tumble backwards.

"Fuck off asshole!" Ymir yanked on the officer's arm and punched his nose the second she had a shot.

It was like the entire prison was dead silent. No one moved until the officer did. Ymir immediately regretted her decision as a solid fist slung down into her bruised side. She joined Krista on the ground with a strangled gasp as she struggled to breathe.

"I'll let you off with a warning bitch. Don't you ever touch me again, got it?"

Ymir just nodded, barely registering his voice over her own gasps. Several footsteps sounded as the inspectors moved on and the two were left alone.

Krista had regained control soon after and moved to help Ymir. Each movement the brown haired woman made caused her to swear loudly in pain.

"I think he's broken a rib." Krista sighed. "I told you not to be stupid."

"He was going to hurt you."

"I've gotten worse." She ignored the look Ymir gave her in favor of moving her to her bed. "You need a doctor this time. Hange is the best we have so I'll get them. Don't move."

Krista was gone in a flash, her light footsteps echoing as she ran.

Ymir focused on breathing normally but every time she inhaled or exhaled too deeply a stinging pain would flash through her.

After what seemed like hours Krista came back with a sleepy Hange in tow. They sniffed once and adjusted the glasses on their nose.

"Alright, let's see what we've got. How many times did she get hit?"

"Just once, it was where she got hit badly yesterday."

"Well aren't you a feisty little inmate. Does it hurt if I push here?"

"Fuck!"

"Okay that's a yes." Hange rolled Ymir's shirt up and nodded. "Yep. You've fractured the bone. I'm pretty sure any way. All you have to do is walk it off. We don't have a lot of medical supplies here so just don't do anything too active or you'll be in a world of pain."

"Thanks Doc."

Hange laughed. "Krista my dear, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid today. And be mindful. She's in a lot of pain."

"Of course Hange. I'll be careful."

**-**

"How was your very first inspection?" Mikasa asked from across the table.

"Ymir got beat again." Krista answered.

Annie looked up in surprise. "What did you do?"

"Punched him."

Mikasa snorted, putting more food into her mouth. "Idiot. Annie and I passed with flying colors. She's pretty clean anyway so he didn't have much to bitch about."

Krista rolled her eyes but smiled. "You speak highly of your new friend quiet often Mikasa."

"I suppose I do."

Ymir shifted her weight and flinched when a wave of pain shot through her. She ignored it as well as she could and continued eating.

"This place sucks." She muttered.

Annie looked up at her. "Only because you got beat two times within 24 hours."

"That's definitely adding to it." She shoved the last of her food into her mouth and pushed the tray away, not willing to stand up until everyone else did so.

"Krista have you been keeping track of your days?" Mikasa asked.

"I have. I've still got awhile to wait. How about you?"

"Not much longer. I'll be okay though. It'll be nice to see my friends again."

Annie looked between the two of them. "What are you talking about?"

Mikasa took a drink. "Our execution dates."

"I've got a year and Mikasa has a little less than that. You two however get to stay here forever." Krista added with a smile.

Annie seemed surprised for a few seconds before her usual poker face returned. "That's unfortunate."

"But hey," Mikasa spoke up. "That doesn't mean anything. We'll all still have fun here. And when we're gone, you two get to be the next big honchos!"

**-**

Ymir trudged into her cell and carefully lay down on one of her bunks. The pain had become constant after breakfast and thankful was now just a distant buzz of discomfort.

"Going to bed early?" The cell opened and Ymir felt like jumping out her cell window, if it was possible.

"Yeah, I am. What are you doing here?"

Krista pouted. "I do nothing but care for you and this is the response I get?"

Ymir frowned, suddenly feeling guilty. "I'm sorry."

"Good. I'll let you sleep by yourself tonight so I don't accidentally hurt you. But it's also only 6 pm."

"How do you know the time?"

"I have my ways." Krista knelt down next to Ymir. "You've been a good girl all day. Haven't complained once about your side." She twirled her fingers through her cell mate's hair and sighed almost like a love struck teenager.

"I'm not some kid crying about ever little cut and bruise." Krista's fingers caught in her hair causing her to flinch. "Can you comb my hair some other time mom?"

Krista picked up on her sarcasm but didn't answer, only continuing to study the brown strands between her fingers.

"Your hair is beautiful." She murmured.

"What? Didn't catch that." Ymir's smirk was immediately removed when Krista yanked on her hair.

"I won't repeat myself."

"Sorry."

"I know." Krista smiled at the wounded woman before placing a kiss on her lips.

Ymir grimaced but let the blonde do what she wanted. She wasn't in the mood to get beaten again if the girl decided to punish her.

Krista pulled away and stood up. "Your special you know that?"

"I'm not special."

"Oh boo. You need someone to take care of you. You'd be dead within a week if I wasn't here to help."

Ymir nodded in agreement.

"When I'm gone you'll have to take over as the teacher for new in mates." Krista paused for a second. "You and Annie."

"What's with you wanting to continue the family business?"

"Oh! You think we're a family?" She clapped twice like a high school girl. "I'm glad you like us so much Ymir!"

"Shut up."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I'm tired."

"Right. Get your rest love." Krista left the cell without another word.

Ymir sighed, only wincing slightly at the pain in her side and closed her eyes. She'd been in this hell hole for only a few short days and she already felt like shit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back! Me! I have no excuses for the year(?) that I didn't update this. Anyway kudos to anyone who's been keeping up with this story. You're the real mvp.

The pain that greeted Ymir when she woke was sudden and yanked her from any sort of pleasent thought she might have been experiencing. Her cries as white pain shot through her rang out loudly but alas, no concerned guards or inmates asked what was wrong. The silence was eerie.

As the pain faded with her trying to even out her shallow breathing, Ymir scanned her cell quickly. It felt like it was noon. She had that tired feel she always got when she slept through the morning hours. But Krista wasn't in the cell to greet her. More likely, Ymir thought, she'd be sarcastic and rude. Or would she be nice and comforting? The woman's actions clashed with her words too often and it only left Ymir tired, confused, and nervous.

Flashes to the night they spent together chose now to reappear in her mind, bringing forth feelings of shame and even more confusion. That wasn't sex, and she didn't like it.

Or did she? Her thoughts were too scattered, too incoherent. The pain from her injury and the headache that was slowly making itself known didn't help and she wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry.

The sound of a metal door opening made Ymir jump in surprise.

"I'm glad you're awake love."

"Right." She instantly regretted her choice of tone when Krista's eyes seemed to stare right into her soul.

"Aren't you glad to see me?"

"I--"

"I'm glad to see you Ymir, why aren't you glad to see me? I thought you liked me?"

A surge of regret overcame the darker woman and she quickly responded. "I am glad! I really am! I'm just tired, that's all."

That seemed to please the woman because she moved closer to Ymir with a smile. "That makes me so happy Ymir. But you need to come outside."

"Can I--" She swallowed. She felt like the air around her was constricting her, slowly choking her just because of the blonde's gaze. "Could I just stay here? I'm not really--"

"You could but it'd really be better if you went outside."

The tone was crystal clear. Get out or get hurt.

She carefully pulled herself out of the bed and followed Krista down the walkway, biting her fist when her side acted up.

When the entered the elevator Krista took charge of the location. When the doors opened again they were in the courtyard.

"You know what I overhead this morning?"

"Hmm?"

"They started the beatings again. They want to target the new inmates."

It was vague, too vague for Ymir to not be nervous. "They?"

"Oh!" She smiled at Ymir from over her shoulder. "They as in the prisoners."

Prisoners planned to beat the newer inmates? It sounded ridiculous but this was a jail, and these were murderers she was with now.

"Am I in danger?"

"Oh no. I'll protect you. As long as you do exactly what I say, you'll be safe. You should be grateful to have me."

She was, in a sick way.

When they found Mikasa and Annie, the two woman were watching a game of basketball from the sidelines. Ymir's old friend smiled at her but received only a forced grin in response.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. Just, getting used to prison I guess." Annie just nodded, looking back at the game.

The day went on like clockwork. They watched the game, Mikasa and Krista would banter back and forth about a subject, occasionally asking for their new friend's opinions. Ymir made it a point to side with Krista's views to avoid a situation. It seemed to work when she got smiles and soft, almost loving touches from the blonde.

Then they ate lunch, Ymir not feeling very hungry at all and so, giving her food to Mikasa when Krista let her. So far the day went on without a single act of violence and Ymir dropped her guard. Fear of the other inmates grew with every minute she spent in the courtyard. Injuried and most definitely outnumbered, she stuck to Krista like a lost puppy which seemed to please the short woman greatly.

The bell for the prisoners to return to their cell sounded, and after a quick goodbye to Mikasa and Annie, they went inside and let themselves be shut behind bars.

"You were really good today." Krista praised when they were alone. "Honestly I think you deserve a reward."

"Reward?"

"A reward."

There was only soft touches that night. When Ymir winced in pain or shifted uncomfortably, Krista would guide her hands away from that area, easing Ymir into a state she hardly could recognize.

She fell asleep with little pain and a dull throbe in her head, Krista whispering in her ear that she was a good girl.

And she believed it.


	6. Chapter 6

The courtyard was peaceful in the morning. Few inmates actually got up early enough to take advantage of these roaming hours but the few who did who definitely worth their interest.

They stood silently by an old shed the guards used to use to get away from work for a bit. Now it was abandoned, hardly anyone hung out near the old shed which made it the perfect place.

They saw the prisoner jogging towards the shed out of the corner of their eye and smiled. He was still waking up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey, you wanted to see me?" He was perfectly average. Nothing unique or striking about him. Perfect.

"Yeah." They motioned towards the shed. "Go in."

He went in, he didn't even hesitate.

"It's pretty chilly in here huh?"

"It'll warm up in a minute."

As soon as the door closed behind them, a fist cracked against his skull and his body fell to the ground. With a bored stare, they picked up his body and drug him into the shadows.

-

"Arms up?"

"No thanks."

Hanji frowned. "Look it's been a week stop being so anal about this."

Ymir frowned. "Next time you break a rib, I'll be sure to poke and prod you all week."

"One-" they said, holding up their index finger. "-you didn't break a rib, you fractured it. And two, I'm not stupid enough to even get myself in this position. Now stop whining and let me make sure you're healing."

It took a bit of convincing but Hanji managed to get their patient to sit still and perform the needed actions. Every time her arms was moved too quickly or her torso twisted in a certain way, Ymir would shrink away from the elder inmate's touch and hold herself in pain.

"You are getting better. I think one more week and you'll be back on your feet!" Hanji grabbed Ymir's orange shirt that rested on their top bunk and tossed it to her. "Just don't do any heavy lifting or fighting. You'll be in a world of pain if that happens."

She just grumbled, shoving her head into the shirt and waiting for her side to stop throbbing. "Krista's gonna be pissed."

"You're still hanging out with our little queen?"

Ymir gave them a suspicious glance but nodded. "She keeps me out of trouble."

"Interesting." Hanji was crawling onto the bunk in their cell while Ymir stood awkwardly by the door. She needed Hanji's collar to open the door but it seemed they had other ideas. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"You and Krista. Everyone's noticed and even more are jealous."

Ymir laughed, flinching slightly when her rib stung. "She's a bitch."

"Ever told her that?"

"No."

"Good. I wouldn't if I were you." Hanji smiled when Ymir rolled her eyes. "Want my advice?"

Ymir glared at the inmate but shrugged. "My consent won't affect what you do."

"Fair enough." Hanji leaned off the bunk, rolling off the hard mattress and hitting the ground with their shoes. They moved closer to Ymir, keeping a distance but allowing their lowered voice to be heard.

"You have a good thing going Ymir. Krista likes you. Maybe she even loves you. Whatever she does, she does it for you. She'd never hurt you unless you forced her to."

"I've stayed on her good side."

"She only has one side Ymir. Her side."

Hanji moved closer to the door, and the second the bars unlocked, Ymir left without a second thought.

-

The courtyard wasn't as active today. Ymir wasn't sure what day it was anymore, she didn't keep a handy calender on hand but Krista probably knew.

Speaking of Krista, Ymir scanned the area in search of the blonde woman, finally finding her sitting with Mikasa and watching Annie speak with a man Ymir had never met before. She limbed closer to the pair, finally reaching a close enough distance to voice her presence.

"I'm back."

Krista turned around and patted the grass next to her. Ymir accepted the invite and carefully settled down.

"Annie is good at making friends."

Ymir followed their gaze, still trained on Annie and her "friend". The two stood on the other side of the basket ball court on a metal bench.

"Who's she talking to?"

"Armin Arlert."

Ymir tilted her head in confusion. The way Krista said their name like she should know this Armin was almost annoying. She was smart enough not to voice that annoyance however, the last thing she needed was another late night session with the blonde.

"Armin tried to hurt you awhile ago, remember?" Krista pointed at him. "He was released from therapy today."

Mikasa scoffed. "Didn't stay in long enough if you ask me." The woman stood up and walked towards her cellmate with a huff that seemed to amuse Krista.

Ymir watched Mikasa grow closer, clearly growing more agitated. Krista grabbed her attention when a hand started to rub her left knee.

"Hanji says you're okay?"

Ymir nodded. "Just a couple more days and I'll be back on my feet."

"Good. You're not useful hunched in pain all the time."

Ymir agreed.

When Annie returned with Mikasa both seemed mildly annoyed and Armin was no where to be found.

"So?"

Mikasa grunted at Krista. "We have him."

"Wonderful." Krista stood up and Ymir struggled to match her sudden movement. "Mikasa can you go speak to Marco?"

She started walking away while Krista grabbed Ymir's arm and Annie's attention.

"You two look tired. Maybe you should go relax."

Annie shrugged but Ymir hesitated. "You sure?" She asked.

Krista smiled her perfect smile. "Of course. You've been so good these harsh weeks. You deserve time with your friend."

Ymir felt a rush of giddiness at the compliment and shook her head. "Okay. Come get me if you need me."

Krista left to find Mikasa shortly after while Annie and Ymir found a safe place to sit. Ymir had missed talking with Annie. Before their heist they'd been close friends, willing to share private secrets or ask for advice on sensitive issues. Annie was always calm, calculating, exactly what Ymir needed when her life felt out of control. Likewise Annie had expressed Ymir's emotional responses helped her grow as well.

Now however tensions ran high almost constantly. With Ymir's injury and frustration with the new system she was more likely to lash out and hurt those she cared for. Annie had taken to isolation in her time here, with Ymir's presence forcing her to move around more. The addition or Krista's relationship with Ymir made it even more difficult. Annie expressed dislike towards the shorter blonde but was always put down by Ymir jokingly.

Why? She didn't know. She'd stopped trying to reason with what her instincts told her to do. And right now, she had to survive. And to survive, she had to be everything for Krista.

It wasn't too bad anymore. Her cellmate offered protection, order, and relief, things Ymir lacked in her life for so very long. If Krista withheld food from her, it was to help her. If Krista withheld sleep or privacy, it was for Ymir's own good. It was almost bliss when Krista now initiated more explicit actions with her. The gut reactions of shame or disgust had faded into apathy. If it made Krista happy, Ymir was happy.

The courtyard was darker today. Heavy clouds hung over the walls and threatened to rain for days, maybe even weeks. Ymir always liked the rain.

"Mikasa is doing well."

Annie seemed to relax physically. "She's alright."

"Do you still-"

"No. She's not for me."

"Oh."

The awkward silence was almost toxic. The taller woman didn't know what to do.

Ymir watched the clouds for awhile, the higher elevation of the prison allowed the clouds to look like they float by quicker. The tension in the air seemed to lift enough for Annie to speak but only after they sat in silence for two minutes.

"I'm worried for you."

"Me?" Ymir laughed. "Why?"

Annie's gaze shifted towards Ymir and back to the grass. "They're not sane. You know that, right?"

"Is anyone? We've been in here for under a month and we're already just like them."

"Is that what you think, or what she's been telling you."

"Krista's-"

"Not. Sane."

Ymir didn't have to look at her friend to know what her face looked like. She was familiar with it. It was the face of someone who was giving up on her. Someone who was sick of her. She was horrified of the day Krista would have that same look on her face.

"I know you don't like her Annie but-" Her thoughts were racing. Her mind felt heavy, like there was something she wanted to confess but her tongue wouldn't let her. "She keeps us safe. We have to survive in here."

"Survival doesn't mean you sell your body to a psychopathic bitch." Ymir felt the animosity behind the words, her eyes fixed on the grass beneath her. "She's just using you Ymir."

"She's protecting us!" Her voice shook with emotion she didn't know she had. She felt her eyes grow wet with emotion she didn't understant as a storm of confusing and conflicting thoughts flooded her mind.

She wanted to agree with her, to do something. But her voice failed her again because she only said-

"She's protecting us."

Annie remained silent.

When Krista and Mikasa returned they regarded the two as if Ymir's face wasn't twisted in pain and Annie wasn't shaking.

"We need you two to come with us."

-

The four made their way towards an old shack Ymir was familiar with. Mikasa had shown it to her last week, saying it was a good place to hide if you needed it. But now it seemed sinister, a dark feeling hovering over it and only growing stronger as they approached. Ymir could feel the beginnings of rain on her shoulders as the clouds became too heavy and dark.

Mikasa opened the door slowly, letting Krista in first, then Annie, then Ymir, and finally following in herself. The door closed behind them, shutting them in the dark and silence broke by the occasional shifting of feet. A single light turned on, revealing a sight Ymir wasn't prepared for.

Marco was tied to a rusted pole that and gagged with cloth that was tied around his skull. He was thin, tired, and almost delirious looking as his scared eyes called for help that Ymir couldn't give.

"What the fuck is this?" Annie whirled on Mikasa with a growl. "You fucking torture people for fun or something? Why is he here?"

"For you two of course." Mikasa's response was casual, as if that was an obvious answer and this situation wasn't disgusting her cellmate.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's almost time. You two need to get used to how things are in here. It's kill or be killed. If you want to survive, you'll do as we say."

"Is that a threat Mikasa?" Annie shoved herself past the larger woman and left the shed, followed by cellmate closely.

Ymir stood alone with Krista as she watched Marco struggle weakly against his binds.

"Did you see what happened?"

Ymir swallowed the bile she felt rising in her throat.

"She left you Ymir." Krista's voice was like a snake, slowly slithering around Ymir and holding her still. "She left you in this scary place and so did Mikasa."

She needed to leave, to run, to do something. But she couldn't.

"I'm here. I won't leave you."

She was right. She was always right. Krista hadn't abandoned her. She never had. Since the beginning Krista kept her safe from harm, kept her alive. Even now when Ymir felt her stomach flip, Krista was there to help her.

"Why?" Her voice shook. "Why is he here?"

"It's his time. He agreed to this. He wants to help you."

"Help me?" She echoed.

"We have a plan, but you're not ready. He wants to make you ready."

Ymir felt a cold pipe fall into her hands and it all seemed to click. She had to kill him. She didn't want to, she wasn't a murderer. But is it really murder if he agreed? If he's trying to help her? Krista had no reason to lie to her about this, and she's only helped her so far.

"He doesn't want to live. He wants to leave. Help him Ymir."

As if something else controlled her actions, Ymir felt her feet move closer to Marco, her hand gripping the pipe tightly as it rose. She felt like a passenger in her own body, watching what was happening but having no control. But her words brought her comfort when the pipe connected with his head.

When it was all over his head seemed to be split in half, his good eye staring into the darkness and Krista's embrace grounding Ymir to reality.

"You did well."

Ymir crumbled to the floor and let her tears fall. Krista held her in her arms, whispering soft words into her ears as Ymir's thoughts tore her apart.


	7. Chapter 7

The next 24 hours were a blur to Ymir. Krista allowed Ymir to stay in her cell. She didn't tell her to stop crying, and didn't tell her to leave her bed. She would bring her food and escort her to the bathrooms when she needed it, but all in all, she left Ymir alone.

She heard Annie try to approach her cell several times, each time her inquiries met with silence. The isolation was her only comfort now, comfort that provided safety but made her chest ache with loneliness.

On the third day following Marco's death, Ymir left her cell.

Annie had come to visit her that morning. She’d made a habit of waiting by her cell door for an hour or two before saying goodbye and moving on.  Ymir could tell she only wanted to help her and did it the only way she could. She appreciated it. When she finally got up Annie was turned away from her, eyes trained on the cold floor she sat on.

Krista was gone.

Ymir approached the bars slowly. Annie had been leaning against the metal with her back to her and her head down. It made Ymir feel something she couldn't describe.

The sound of the door unlocking when Ymir's collar reacted to it seemed to startle the woman. She turned her head to look back through the bars and smiled up at Ymir.

“Morning.”

“Hey.”

Annie watched Ymir leave her cell and stand in front of her. She stood up to meet her and was immediately pulled into an embrace. Without hesitation she returned it, willing to let her friend stay like this for as long as she needed. Turned out she didn't need it that long.

“I'm okay.” Ymir mumbled as she pulled away.

“You sure?” Annie's eyes lacked the apathy she normally held within them. It made Ymir happy.

“Yeah. Breakfast?”

“Sure.”

They walked together, passing by an abnormally rowdy prisoner as they did which only served to put Ymir on edge.

When they got to the mess hall they were pleased to find that the line for food wasn't too long. When they finally found a table to relax at, they started eating.

“Mikasa says she's sorry.”

“For what?”

“You know.”

Ymir was silent. Her mind reliving the memory over and over. It was too sudden for her to realize it happened. She felt the cold pipe in her hands, the confusion and fear gripping her heart and-

“She got rid of his body that night.” Her voice yanked Ymir back. “She didn't tell me how he ended up the way he was.”

A minute of silence passed between them before Ymir spoke.

“It was me.”

Annie froze.

“I killed him.” The words felt hollow, like they didn't have the force to physically halt her friend's words like it did.

“Why?” She sounded calm but Ymir could feel her stare and knew it was anything but.

“You left me.”

“I didn't-“

“You left me and Krista stayed.” Ymir took a deep breath, her hands dropping her fork into her tray and running up to hold her head.

“She made you kill him.” It wasn't a question, but a statement that Ymir couldn't argue. She'd killed another person. The heist wasn't enough. She had more blood on her hands than she ever wanted.

“I did it. She was trying to help.”

“You need to stay away from Krista.”

That got Ymir to look up. “Why?”

“Are you seriously asking that?” Annie looked like she was two seconds from slapping her. Ymir couldn't help but think she deserved it. “She's a murderer!”

“She didn't kill Marco.”

“No, but she put him there. She made you do it so she could stay clean!” Her words were low to avoid drawing a scene but forceful enough to make Ymir flinch. “She's bad for you and you need to stay away from her.”

“I can't do that. She's protecting us. As long as I stay her-“

“Are you even listening to yourself?”

“Annie-“

“Come on.” Her friend cut her off harshly. “Finish your food.”

Ymir did so quickly, desperate to avoid another argument. Annie just couldn't understand. And how could she? She's strong enough to resist. Strong enough to stand up for herself. She'd never have to kill to survive, but Ymir would.

_I did._

They finished their meals and made their way to the courtyard to find it more flooded than usual. Ymir found herself looking for Krista out of habit before Annie grabbed her wrist and guided her towards the basketball courts.

“Wanna play? There's and open net.”

“Sure.”

**-**

“How is she?”

“She's with Annie.”

“Okay.” Mikasa sat down next to her friend, leaning against the wall of the shack she'd come to spend most of her time in.

“How is Annie?” Krista asked, not taking her eyes off of the sky.

“She doesn't talk to me as much. She likes Ymir more than me.”

“Well they did have a relationship.”

“I know.” Mikasa rolled her wrist casually. “Who's next?”

“Someone dangerous.”

Mikasa nodded. “Mike?”

“No. She doesn't know him.”

“Hanji?”

“We need them.”

Mikasa sighed, trying to search her brain for the right answer. When it clicked she felt Krista look at her. She returned the gaze and nodded, Mikasa rose from the ground and walked away.

**-**

Krista didn't talk to Ymir much for the next two days, and while Annie had taken up most of her time she still felt crushed by Krista's avoidance. Annie seemed pleased if nothing else which managed to offend Ymir from time to time.

“It's getting late. The guards will be ordering everyone back to their cells soon.”

“I don't want to go back.” Ymir frowned as Annie stood up from the grass.

“Tomorrow's inspection. We should go in.”

Annie seemed satisfied when Ymir finally gave in and the two walked towards their cells together. They didn't get far before Ymir saw Mikasa and Krista approaching them out of the corner of her eye. Ignoring Annie's glare, Ymir stopped and let their cellmates join them.

“One more time. Before curfew.” Mikasa didn't wait for a response before walking away. Krista waited for Ymir to follow along with a reluctant Annie taking up the rear.

“What is this Krista?”

She smiled. “Your second chance, and Ymir's second trial.”

Annie scowled. “You have _another_ one? Is this just a game for you now?”

“They're trials.”

“For what?”

Krista stopped and spun her head around, hair whipping past Ymir's chest quick enough for the taller woman to imagine the sting it'd cause. Ymir assumed the look Krista was giving Annie stung even more but the taller of the two blondes held her head high.

“Why are you still here Annie?” Her voice was cold. Ymir recognized that voice from the hours after most of the inmates had fallen asleep. The voice that could make Ymir forget all her worries and regrets until morning.

“You can't be alone with Ymir.” Annie's tone was low but accusing nevertheless.

“That didn't stop you last time.”

Silence.

“I'm not leaving you.”

Ymir didn't need to look at her to know who those words were for.

**-**

Eren was unconscious when they got there, strung up like Marco was. Mikasa was waiting inside by the time the rest of the group arrived, looking surprised when Annie was still with them.

“Wake him up.”

Mikasa did just that, roughly shaking the man until his eyes opened. Unsurprisingly he was much more vocal than Marco had been.

“Where am I? What the fuck is going on?” His loud shouting earned him a knock against his jaw. Ymir heard it pop and turned her head away from him when Mikasa hit him again.

Satisfied he was too stunned to keep shouting Mikasa backed off, letting Krista take control. Unlike last time she was more aggressive with her movements, almost tense or excited. It made Ymir uncomfortable to say the least. Beside her she felt Annie grab her arm and look up at her.

"You don't have to do this.” She whispered. “She isn't your owner.”

_She still didn't understand._

“Ymir?” Krista's innocent voice reached her ears before reason and she immediately snapped her eyes away from Annie. The comforting warmth from her hold slowly disappeared when she moved forward.

“One more time Ymir. Then you and Annie can leave.” This proposal was different than most. Now Annie was involved and that struck a chord with Ymir.

”She'll be okay?”

“Of course.” Krista smiled so sweetly. “She's safe when you're with me.”

“Ymir don't-“ Annie tried to grab her friend again but when Mikasa's eyes landed on her she stopped. Despite Krista's words she knew this was the most dangerous place to be. Anywhere with them wasn't a good place to be and now she fully understood.

Krista was holding a familiar pipe in her right hand, handing it to Ymir as she moved closer.

“Finally got the balls to finish me off? Basketball games just aren't enough for you anymore huh?” Eren was breathing hard, unable to speak too loudly, all too aware that the next hit would dislocate his jaw.

“Ymir is strong now.”

“Ymir is doing this for Annie.”

Ymir wasn't sure who said what, but the second she heard the door behind her crash shut she swung the pipe.

**-**

“…”

“…”

“You left me again.”

“I just went outside. I couldn't watch him.” Annie was sitting alone on her bed, eyes pointed towards the ground rather than her friend who gripped the bars of her cell from the outside.

“I did it for you. You understand now right?” Ymir wanted to plead but she knew it wouldn't work. Annie didn't give in to pity.

“I know what I saw. I know what you think is happening.”

“And?”

Annie sighed. “I have no opinion on what's happening with you. Not yet.”

“You're talking like I'm sick.”

Annie didn't respond.

“Annie please!”

Ymir felt a wave of relief when Annie turned to her, meeting her worried eyes with her own cold gaze.

She looked tired. “They called it a trial. A test. Ymir this killing isn't going to end. The guards are already on edge with Marco's disappearance.” She looked down again. “Eren will be noticed even quicker. If she keeps making you kill these people, you're going to get caught. She's using you for whatever sick plans her and Mikasa have!”

“If I get caught it's my fault.”

“Is that what you really think?” Ymir jumped when Annie stood up too quickly. She took a step back when her friend advanced towards the bars.

“What's with you and assuming you're responsible for those monsters?” Annie stood up and approached the bars. “Do you think because we got caught on the border that it was your fault? You think that stupid heist we did was your fault?”

Ymir felt her chest seize up when she tried to respond.

“Everything we did before we got in here was a group decision. Not a smart one but a group decision all the same.” Her hand reached through the bars and rested on her friend's shoulder. “You weren't responsible for anyone that day. Just yourself.”

“That's not how friends work.” Ymir looked away from her, taking shaky breathes. “I cared about you, all of you. I wanted to keep everyone safe and together.”

Annie retracted her hand and frowned. “This isn't you.”

“Promise me.”

“What?”

“Promise me you'll stay with me Annie. I can't lose another friend.”

Annie sighed heavily. “I said I wasn't leaving you. I meant it.”


	8. Chapter 8

Three weeks and Ymir did nothing.

The search for Marco and Eren was brought to an end when their bodies were discovered in an old shack the first week. Curfew was moved forward two hour and any stragglers were forcefully returned to their cells. Tension rose quickly alongside beatings and scraps between prisoners.

The second week new guards were introduced into the force already within the prison. More patrols and sparatic inspections caused the prisoners to become paranoid. The prisoners already on the edge of sanity seemed to regress entirely, sometimes being forced to leave their cells by the guards they feared.

The third week Annie was beaten by a guard while the entire courtyard watched.

Now, Ymir sat with her near the courts, checking the bruises on her arms with the care she remembered Hange giving her. Her own injury was only a throb of discomfort when she ran or lifted weights. Krista had praised her for such a quick recovery and it'd given her the extra confidence she'd needed to help her friend.

When Annie flinched away from a particularly tender bruise on her forearm, Ymir stopped. "Sorry Annie."

Her friend shrugged. "It's fine. Better you than that creep who looked at your ribs."

"Hange isn't so bad. A little off but they're okay." Ymir moved up towards her shoulder where she'd landed when the guard threw her. The memory was still fresh and it'd taken Krista's reassurance that they'd get even to keep her from starting another scene.

Annie seemed fine now. No malice or vengeance lurked in her eyes like they did in Mikasa and Ymir's.

When Ymir confirmed her bruises weren't as bad as they looked, she moved on to her face. Her usual pale face clashed against the black eye she now suffered. She could open her eye and see fine but Ymir avoided touching the edges regardless.

"Your eye is getting better I think."

"It still hurts to blink."

Ymir snickered quietly. "Stop blinking then."

"I will when there's something worth staring at."

"Can't imagine there's much to look at anyway."

Annie softly flicked her friend's arm and smiled. "I agree. I'll just have to stare at your ugly mug for the rest of our lives."

"Promise?"

Annie laughed. Ymir felt her chest swell with happiness. She hadn't heard Annie laugh in a very long time.

**-**

Krista and Mikasa had again made themselves scarce for another week. The two friends hardly ever saw their cellmates during the day. Annie had mentioned how it made her worried but Ymir was just happy Krista returned at all. If Krista still managed to smile at her when she woke up she was still on her side.

Every morning had been like clockwork. Ymir would wake up to Krista watching her from the opposite bunk bed across the cell. She'd tell her good morning, kissing her forehead or hugging her when she stood up. Then Krista would leave and Mikasa would leave moments later.

Annie would approach her cell and the two would head to the cafeteria for breakfast. The two managed to attract Jean and his friend Connie more than once, the four eating and sharing stories from their lives.

"You guys ever feel bad about what you did?" Jean asked once. "Like, I'm no psycho like Eren or Marco but--"

Connie snorted. "You're wrapping Marco and Eren together? Eren cut at least one guy into pieces and rumor is he did more with the dead body than he got charged for."

Ymir felt her stomach want to flip.

Connie didn't seem to notice her discomfort. "What did Marco do that puts him in the same league as that crazy fucker?"

Jean raised his eyebrows in amusement. "He never told you?"

"No. I wasn't all buddy buddy with him before he died."

"Marco tortured little girls."

That had made everyone drop their jaw.

"Marco?" Ymir asked. "Marco Bodt? The guy who was on our bus?"

Jean and laughed. "Yeah the same Marco. He told me the day he went missing. Said he needed to get it off his chest. But since he's gone I have no problem telling his little secret."

Ymir closed her mouth. "Why'd he do it?"

"He got it into his head that they needed him to be safe. Now in theory he wasn't actually intending to hurt them. He locked 'em in his basement. He'd go down and visit whenever he could."

"That's fucking creepy." Annie mumbled.

"But thing is, on the medication he was taking, he had shit memory. Dude kept forgetting to feed the kids!"

"Jesus Christ Jean!" Ymir shouted when the man started laughing at the mixed reactions he got.

"Sorry 'Mir. But his story got me thinking. We all did something stupid or fucked up to get in here. Ymir, you said you robbed a bank, Annie too, and Connie, I can't remember what you did but--"

"Drugs, assault, and running from the cops."

"Really? They only send out a warrant for that stuff, not an actually hunt. How'd you get caught?"

Connie sighed. "I was shot during a run. When I got out of the hospital the cops picked me up out on the sidewalk."

"Tough luck. But anyway that proves my point. We've all done something crazy, but they were different and we still all got lumped up here. So do any of you actually regret what you did?"

The table was silent for a minute before Connie spoke up. "I'm not sorry I did it. I'm sorry I got caught."

"We didn't get anything out of our heist." Annie said. "So I regret trying yeah."

Jean nodded. "Seeing actual crazies like Eren and Marco, I know I'm not a murderer. I get I made a stupid decision. So yeah I regret what I did too." He looked at Ymir. "You?"

Ymir stared down at her food and sighed. "Yeah. I regret it."

The group would separate after their meal, preferring their own company while in the courtyard. There Annie and Ymir would sit and watch others play against each other in the new variation of basketball that week. A couple times they joined for a game or two but watching became what they both preferred.

In the span of a week Ymir's stress seemed to melt away. Annie was getting better, sleeping better too. While Ymir missed Krista, Annie helped distract her from her thoughts when they started to feel too dark. Annie seemed less tense as time passed as well, even comfortable enough to doze off while Ymir watched the game.

It almost broke her heart when Annie spotted Mikasa and Krista across the courtyard one evening. The peacefulness seemed to drain from her face in the instant she recognized the pair. Neither of them had discussed the incident or their seemingly avoidant cellmates, but now it seemed that spell was coming to an end.

"What do you think they're doing?"

Ymir shrugged. "I don't know. If it's super important, Krista will tell me when I can know." She didn't miss the look Annie gave her, expecting her to mention her opinions on the other blonde. But none came, Annie tore her eyes from the duo and fixed them on her shoes instead.

"I don't like it. Mikasa's always sneaking around." She looked up. "You don't think she got another one do you?"

"No. Krista promised Eren was the last trial."

"Did she?"

Ymir nodded, watching her cellmate stop to talk with a few inmates she'd never met before.

"Are you two still--"

"She isn't mad at me, best I can tell. She wishes me good morning every day and doesn't leave until I wake up to see her go."

"Mikasa leaves after her."

"Yeah."

Annie frowned. "They're planning something. I don't know what but it's probably something stupid."

Ymir shrugged. There was no way to know for sure so gossiping wasn't useful. She didn't like talking behind Krista's back either. She remembered when Krista had mentioned her "contacts" around the cell. If even one person heard Annie's words there was no telling what would happen.

When the guards started rallying up prisoners before the curfew, Annie and Ymir returned to their cells to avoid an incident. Despite the overall apathy towards the guards the two friends shared, both now knew how much their kicks could hurt.

Ymir said goodnight to Annie, and got a farewell in return, the two finally leaving each other's side to return to their own cell.

She watched the light above the door light up green as her collar drew closer. She barely remembered the metal ring still surrounded her neck. Like Krista had promised, she got use to the feel, in some cases it felt like it protected her. Ever since the fight with Eren she'd been much more sensitive with other people's hands near her throat.

The door closed shut behind her and the light turned red, indicating that she couldn't leave anymore but Krista could still get in to meet a similar fate. She rolled onto the bed they shared and briefly wondered where Krista was. After waiting for an hour, her cellmate hadn't returned, and Ymir fell asleep.

**-**

It was dark when Ymir woke up to an odd sensation. It wasn't unpleasant but her tired thoughts were having a bit of trouble trying to understand what was happening.

The lights outside her cell were still on, allowing patrolling guards to still see in front of them to avoid any prisoner's looking to take advantage of the dark. The light wasn't too bright but it was barely enough to let Ymir see around her cell.

The bed across from the one her and Krista shared was empty, the light filtered in, leaving the shadows of the bars to creep along the floor. Ymir tried to rub the sleep from her eyes with her hand but jerked in surprise when she realized she couldn't.

She twisted her neck to look at what kept her wrists suspended above her head, gasping when she saw a leather belt holding her to the metal frame of the bed. Her legs were still free she discovered as she struggled against the binds. She was scared, tired, confused, and Krista still wasn't here. She thought she wasn't anyway.

"Don't hurt yourself Ymir."

She froze when the familiar voice reached her ears, instantly she settled down. Her eyes scanned the room again, praying her eyes had missed the source of the voice when she'd woken up.

She found what she was searching for after a few scans, her eyes were getting used to the dark and her brain was waking up now.

There she stood, Historia Christina-Lenz Reiss the long name barely fitting the short woman Ymir had learned was capable of so much.

She smiled warmly at Ymir, slowly moving from the shadows to stand in front of her friend. Ymir watched her move closer to her face until her eyes could look at nothing else but the blue sky that was trapped within Krista.

"You've been very good these last weeks Ymir. I haven't forgotten." She felt her hand run through her hair she new was probably a mess compared to how perfect Krista's was.

"I'm sorry we haven't had so much time to be with each other, but I've been working to keep you safe."

"Safe?" Ymir echoed, seemingly much to Krista's delight.

"Yes my little Ymir. Safe from those evil guards and mean prisoners. They wanted to hurt you but I wouldn't let them."

It made sense, why she'd been gone for so long, talking with others. She was just making sure no one hurt her, and Ymir was eternally grateful.

Her hand scratched against her scalp a bit too roughly, causing Ymir to flinch. Her chin was immediately tugged back over to meet Krista's eyes again.

"You _will_ look at me."

Ymir nodded, an uneasy feeling rising within her. This was too familiar for old emotions to remain hidden.

The hand clawed down the side of her head slowly, making Ymir whimper when it tore small strands of hair. But this was Krista, she'd never do anything to Ymir she didn't want, so she stayed silent, keeping her eyes on Krista like she'd requested.

The hand that had grabbed her chin slowly descended down her torso, slow enough to make Ymir's breathe quicken. Those same claws finally rested on her thigh, warm and comforting compared to the pain her hair was going through.

Finally Krista seemed to grow bored of Ymir's tired winces and struggle to keep her eyes open when another clump of hair was yanked roughly. The hand traveled down, Ymir's neck, nails tapping against the collar that made its home there.

"Does this cold collar bother you Ymir?"

"N-no. Not anymore."

"Good."

 _Good._ Ymir smiled in relief. She was definitely on Krista's good side tonight.

Her thoughts were interrupted when teeth ran down her throat, sending a shiver up her spine when she heard them knock against the collar softly. Krista slowly positioned herself over Ymir, mouth still working against her neck to pull every noise possible from her cellmate. Ymir gave no resistance towards the advance, convinced this was what she wanted, and what Krista wanted for her.

With Krista sitting on her stomach, thighs secured on each side of Ymir's waist, the attention continued. Time seemed to pass slower now, Ymir was convinced it'd been hours while her neck, jaw, and cheeks were given the utmost care from Krista. A couple times it'd looked like she was to recieve a kiss but was cruely denied it each time.

It drove Ymir insane.

**-**

_"Wake up you two!"_

Ymir jerked awake instantly, much to the dismay of the smaller woman next to her. A guard was standing next to the bars of their cell, clearly annoyed that he found the prisoners in such a position.

"Sorry sir."

He wrinkled his nose and jerked his finger at Ymir. "When I come back you better be gone."

"Yes sir."

The guard slinked off, allowing Ymir time to breath before a cold hand wrapped around her waist.

"Go back to sleep."

"But the guard wants us out of here."

"So?"

"So I-I..." Ymir fell silent. Not sure what to say to such a casual response.

Krista opened her eyes and stared at Ymir, dissecting her woman's emotions as quickly as a trained psychologist.

"Okay. I can see you're upset. Let's go."

Krista was all smiles and kisses this morning. Touching Ymir while they dressed and giving her compliments and love when possible.

Ymir smiled back, her mind swimming with the happiness she felt. Like all her suffering was worth it in the end. Krista wasn't a bad person like Annie insisted. She was just misunderstood with her affection.

"We should go to the showers. Do you want to go to the showers with me Ymir?"

"Uh. Sure."

Ymir didn't see Mikasa or Annie when they left the cell. Hardly anyone was still in their rooms anymore.

"Did we wake up late?"

"You deserve the extra sleep. You did very well last night."

"Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself."

"I always perform well Ymir. You know that."

"Right." _How silly of her._

The showers were relatively clear. The few who were inside were just finishing up anyway. Ymir recognized Petra as one of them but she left too soon for Ymir to say a polite hello.

Krista left Ymir alone while they cleaned themselves. It was odd considering every other time they'd showered together ended up with one or two prisoners having to leave out of embarrassment. Ymir never liked it but if Krista wanted it who was she to deny.

They met Mikasa and Annie in the cafeteria where breakfast was still being served, but not for much longer. They all grabbed their trays and found a quiet spot to sit down.

Ymir felt a soft ache in her chest when Krista chose to sit next to Mikasa instead of her but Annie's quick invite was enough to make her feel better.

"Oh dear, I forgot to get a drink. Mikasa come with me to get one please."

The two stood up without even looking at the other two and crossed the room to find a suitable beverage.

"Ymir, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Are you, okay?"

"I am. Why?" Ymir could feel Annie's tension but it vanished when Mikasa and Krista returned.

"No reason. Just asking."

"Okay."

They all began eating in silence, Ymir kept her eyes on her food, aware of Krista's gaze that watched her take each bite. It wasn't new, Krista often watched her do many things but it was a little unnerving when she caught Mikasa doing the same.

Finally Mikasa spoke, her eyes traveling back to Annie and allowing Ymir to breath.

"Everything is ready. So now it's safe to tell you two."

"What?" Annie frowned at Mikasa but her question was ignored.

Ymir watched Mikasa shovel more food into her mouth before she continued. "Krista and I only have a few short months before we get executed. So this is all or nothing."

"Get on with it Ackerman."

"We're leaving."

Annie and Ymir waited for any addition to her statement but got none. Finally Annie spoke up.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?"

"Not me, us. Krista says you two are going to leave with us."

Ymir turned to look at her cellmate and only got a smile. "Okay, why are we leaving?"

Annie growled next to her. "It's called a prison break genius."

Ymir almost dropped her fork. "From here? There's got to be several walls of security and a thousand guards! We'd never make it!"

Mikasa shook her head. "There's three walls of security, and roughly 150 guards actively working here." She leaned in close. "We've been working on this plan for years. It'll work."

"Okay. What's your plan?"

"Annie you can't seriously--"

"I just want to hear the plan."

Ymir picked up her fork and took another bite when Mikasa started again.

"It's simple. We aren't as heavily guarded as we're led to believe. We need these collars to get in and out of our cells and I've seen some guards activate some sort of shock through them when a prisoner got violent.

"But I've been able to stay out well past curfew and no guard has sound the alarm to look for me. Which means the collar doesn't track your position like we thought and they aren't checking the times you leave your cell and don't return.

"We think collars are here for emergency and to ingrain it in us that we're stuck here forever. I doubt even the new guards have been told what the collar doesn't do."

The two younger inmates just stared until Ymir found her voice.

"Okay. So what does this mean?"

"It means," Mikasa looked up from her food with something like a smile on her face, "we have more freedom than we realized."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the wait, work sucks a lil bit.

The night was quiet, a type of silence Ymir knew under normal circumstances she'd consider a blessing. But right now, it felt like walking on glass, anxiety keeping her from so much as breathing too loud. She and Krista now waited by the shed they were almost too familiar with, waiting for their friends to return. As the time ticked by, Ymir pressed her back against the cold wall, watching the spot where Annie had disappeared with Mikasa not 20 minutes ago. Krista stood next to her, arms crossed but a smile ever present on her face.

"There's a blind spot near the north watch tower." The voice made Ymir flinch in sudden fear, eyes adjusting to see that Mikasa and Annie had returned. She didn't miss the amused look Mikasa gave her.

"Excellent!" Krista praised, "It's just like you said Mikasa,"

"Right,"

Krista moved forward, watching the courtyard before continuing. "We'll need a distraction. Something to make it harder for our plan to be spoiled,"

"A riot?" Mikasa suggested.

"No. It's too late for that. But maybe something similar," Krista turned with a grin, addressing her own cellmate as well as Mikasa's. "How comfortable are you two with getting a little rough with each other?"

They two friends stared before answering in unison, "What?"

"We need to get inside the wall, and to do that we need a disguise. They'd never let a group of prisoners inside alone. But if a new guard was bringing in a prisoner causing a problem?"

"They keep bringing in new guards and switching them out." Mikasa added, "You two are new enough for most guards to mistake you for anyone else,"

Ymir glanced at Annie, receiving an equally suspicious look. "So what do we need to do?"

Krista giggled. "Hit her,"

"What?"

"You heard me. You two start a fight, we'll call a guard and hopefully they'll come to our rescue. Use the blind spot to our advantage and we can get a uniform, key card, and a weapon all in minutes."

"This is never going to work." Annie muttered.

"You don't want to hit me?"

"Well I never said that,"

-

"I cannot believe that worked."

Ymir sighed when the guard's body went limp, dropping the guard onto the dirt and nearly collapsing herself. "I'm never doing that again."

"I don't know, you were pretty good at it."

"Shut up Annie."

They looked down at the crumpled form on the floor, Mikasa and Krista already raiding it in search of their objective.

"Ymir put the uniform on." Krista ordered.

"Me?"

"Yes you. Look at it! It looks just like you."

Ymir looked down at the wounded woman, feeling an odd pull in her stomach when she recognized a few traits they shared. Dark skin, dark hair, and a sharp jaw. Not identical by any means but just enough to fool someone at a distance.

Sighing, she began undressing, thanking Krista every time she was handed a piece of the uniform to swap out with. To keep suspicion low, Krista ended up dressing the guard in her own clothes, an uncanny fit.

Now properly dressed, Mikasa picked up the body and tossed it into the shed without so much as a second glance. Krista moved her hands over the fabric to smooth any wrinkles and fix anything Ymir missed. "Officer Langnar is the name on your badge. If anyone speaks to you, remember to use that name."

"Yes ma'am."

"Good." Krista shoved the pistol the guard had been carrying into Ymir's holster and clipped the security card to her belt, "Now grab these handcuffs. Annie, turn around."

The blonde narrowed her eyes but complied after a moment. Ymir clamped them around her wrists as gently as possible, whispering apologizes when the metal cut into her skin.

"It's fine just hurry up."

"We're good to go. Officer Langnar," Mikasa smiled. "Take Annie into the wall and look for someplace that could lead you to the Warden."

"Wouldn't it be better if you came with me?"

"The guards know me too well to let one new guard take me in. It has to be Annie."

"Mikasa's right," Krista added, "I trust you to do this well on your own Freckles. Don't disappoint me."

Ymir cleared her throat and nodded, gently moving Annie in front of her and grabbing her arm to make it look convincing.

"Krista and I will try to keep as much attention on the prisoners as we can, but try to be quick. I'd like to leave before morning."

-

It may have seemed odd at first for one gangling guard to be reporting an even smaller prisoner to the wall for a minor issue but Ymir received nothing but shoulder claps and thumbs up when she got to the first door. A man stood in front of it, hand resting on his holster as his grin spread.

"You've only been here two days Langnar! This the murderer we been lookin' for?"

The guard was huge compared to Ymir, his stature practically ripping her courage from her chest. Ymir managed a nod which seemed in character enough to fool the man.

"Quiet as ever. Scan your card kid. You're on your own 'till the next check point."

Ymir quickly pulled the green card from her belt and scanned it. The door opened and she felt her shoulders sag in relief. Desperate to move on, she pushed Annie a little too roughly and they started walking.

"Lay off the fucking act Ymir." Annie hissed over her shoulder.

"Sorry!" She whispered back.

The halls were long and bright, doors appearing on the right and left every now and then with labels like _Break Room, Guest Services_ , and other rooms Ymir wasn't convinced were actually needed in a high security prison. The next wall of security wasn't far. Ymir only passed two guards on their way to their own destinations, neither even sparring her a glance.

It all was going almost too well, with Annie scanning the hall for something of use while Ymir put on a pretty face for the few guards they did pass. The charade ended when Annie suddenly whispered, "There!"

Ymir almost bumped into her when she suddenly halted their movement.

"That room, look." She nodded towards a door on their left with a sign reading _Prisoner Information._ Ymir quickly moved to unlock the door, not entirely sure her card would work. Thankfully it seemed to do the job.

Within the room, a woman sat in a chair facing away from them. The only source of light coming from the huge screens of information covering the walls.

"You the new guy they sent to help me?" The woman asked?

Ymir stuttered. "Y-yeah. I don't remember the officer's name. He told me to come directly here,"

"Good," She said, not even looking over her shoulder. "There's four prisoners who haven't checked into their cells. I know the collars have been getting pretty glitchy recently so I need you to tell the Warden."

"The Warden?"

Annie remained frozen, almost baffled at not being discovered while Ymir had a conversation with this distracted guard.

"Yes, the Warden. Use my card to get through levels two and three." She grabbed her card and practically tossed it behind her. Ymir tried to grab it but missed entirely, the metal hitting the floor made the guard laugh.

"Bet you were great in gym class."

"Uhm."

Ymir picked the card up, looking at Annie who rolled her eyes and made a motion towards the woman. Ymir's mind clicked when she realized what Annie was suggesting.

Grabbing the pistol in her holster, Ymir walked up behind the guard, reading over her shoulder at the words and colors that updated frequently. The woman turned her head just in time to have the butt of the pistol crack against her temple. They watched the guard fall sideways out of her chair, landing on the tile with a heavy sound.

"Well, that was pretty good."

"I guess." Ymir fell back, removing Annie's handcuffs so she could have a moment to collect herself. The two moved their attention the the computer, neither finding anything useful until--

"There's us."

"What?"

Annie rolled her eyes and pointed to the screen. Several columns of names and numbers lined up and a picture would appear when a name was highlighted.

"This is all the prisoners information. You and I are near the top. I guess cause we're newer than most."

"Okay. Why does this matter?"

"Maybe we could delete our information, they can't find us on the outside if they can't prove we were prisoners at all."

Ymir slowly cracked open the door, watching as a group of guards walked down the way they'd come. "What makes you think that's going to work?"

"We stole a uniform that just happened to be a perfect fit for you. We got this far without so much as a hint of trouble. I think if anything, we have the best luck we've had in years. Why not try?"

"You're insane!"

"But if this plan works, I don't want to be followed for the rest of my life. I want to be free, maybe find our friends and live a normal life."

Ymir sighed, keeping watch as best she could. "Fine, start messing with it if you want."

"I can't believe we're doing this." Annie mumbled.

"Little too late for regrets Annie."

"I know."

Suddenly the screen went white, Ymir shut the door and ran to Annie's side as she backed away from the console.

"What the hell did you do?"

"I'm pretty sure I hit ctrl alt delete."

"What the hell do you think this is, high school?"

"Well what would you have done?"

Ymir opened her mouth to whisper angrily back when she heard two soft beeps and white hot pain flashed through her. She fell to her knees, holding her throat in an attempt to relieve herself. She opened her eyes as Annie joined her, holding her head as she tried to keep her cries silent.

As quickly as the pain arrived, it disappeared as well. When Ymir recovered, she felt a looseness around her neck. Hesitantly, she grabbed the thin collar and pulled gently, gasping when the metal practically fell off her skin. When she caught her breath she saw Annie mimic her, ripping the metal from her throat and letting it clatter to the floor.

"What did you do?"

"I think I just set us free."

With a sigh, Ymir rubbed the skin the collar had called home. It felt like years since she'd felt air on that part of her neck and she intended to enjoy it. She massaged the red skin gently and smiled at the feeling of freedom. The screen returned to its original picture, showing the list of prisoners, minus two.

"Can we let everyone out of their collars?" She asked when Annie stood up to look at the console again.

"They'd still be stuck in their cells. If we wanted we could release everyone from their cells themselves."

"How do we do that?"

"I'd assume the Warden would have that ability."

Ymir couldn't believe her ears. "Seriously? You'll get us killed! I can't keep up this act forever, someone's going to know."

"Well we have the key to get to the Warden, and an extra uniform." Annie nudged the guard suspiciously.

"You think they won't notice a new guard suddenly appearing?"

"They didn't notice your collar. Clearly most of these guards weren't picked because of their test scores."

Despite how flawed the logic sounded, ultimately they had no choice. Ymir helped Annie dress quickly and hid her old clothes behind the desk with the woman. Ymir was almost positive they'd get caught, her heavy breathing evidence of her growing anxiety as they left the room.

"Ymir." Annie's harsh whisper made her turn and look at her. "Calm down. We'll be okay."

Ymir swallowed and nodded, pushing forward.

The next checkpoint didn't even have a guard actively watching. The only one there was staring at their phone lazily, not even caring to look up. When Ymir swiped the card however, the guard looked up suddenly.

"That's not your card kid. What are you doing with it."

"Uh, a guardswoman gave it to me. She said I needed to see the Warden about some prisoners who haven't checked in."

The man narrowed his eyes, quickly checking his screen before looking up again.

"Sorry about that, I just got the message. Go on ahead, the Warden doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Right."

"Before you go, who's the new kid?"

Ymir followed his gaze to see it landed on Annie. Annie just looked at Ymir and shrugged.

"She came in with the new group. She's new like me."

"Makes sense. I don't get put on patrol duty very often so I guess we just happened to miss each other." He shook her hand and smiled. "Anyway, congrats on gettin' an audience with the Warden. I smell a promotion for the two of you."

Ymir faked a smile and waved at the man before they walked away.

"I told you."

"What?" Ymir glanced down at Annie.

"They're all fucking idiots."

"You're so mean."

The next five minutes were filled with silence, aside from the soft clicks from their shoes. Annie walked in front of Ymir who found it more difficult to keep her head high. It felt like a ghost town now, not a single guard since the last checkpoint. But despite the lack of a physical presence, Ymir could see security cameras at every corner, following them down the halls and watching them closely.

They arrived at an elevator where one more guard stood, this one entirely focused on the wall ahead of him.

"Where to?" It barely registered as a question, sounding more like a demand.

"Warden."

The man pushed the button, eyes trained on the space in front of his face while Ymir and Annie stood awkwardly next to him. When the elevator opened again, they were greeted by a shorter hallway, colored warmly compared to the lower levels. Windows lined the edges, revealing just how high they'd climbed.

Practically being shoved out, the man grumbled, "She's waiting."

The doors shut and the two were left alone in the hallway.

"This feels like a trap."

"It feels like I'm in a fucking movie."

"I'd prefer an actor to be here instead of me honestly."

They started walking together, slowly approaching the door. It was closed, but when Ymir knocked once a stone voice called from inside.

"Enter."

They walked in slowly, the room appearing open and warm, even comfortable if not for the beating Ymir was certain her heart would fail from. Across from them was a heavy wooden desk, covered in various papers and a single pistol. Behind that stood a woman, her back turned to them as they entered, her eyes watching a large screen showing what looked like security footage from everywhere in the prison. Ymir's brow rose when she recognized Krista and Mikasa sitting in their respective cells.

"I was told you had some news for me Officer."

Ymir cleared her throat. "Two prisoners haven't returned to their cells, A glitch with the collars I was told."

"There's no glitch. I've been watching their cells for weeks. These missing prisoners seem to be the next victims in our little serial killer's rage. A shame."

"Ma'am?"

"Now I also noticed you arrived with a prisoner of your own. Where is she?"

Thinking fast, Ymir stammered. "The guard in the Information room has her. I wasn't sure of the details but I'm still learning the rules here."

The Warden remained silent, her left hand moving to touch the screen in front of her. The second her hand touched the glass, two cameras enlarged enough for Ymir to see them clearly.

Mikasa paced inside her cell, arms crossed as she watched the camera. Krista on the other hand was sitting in the bed they shared, looking like she was daydreaming.

"Interesting these two are. Within months both of them lose another cellmate. They always end up disappearing and reappearing torn messes of their former selves. Of course they've never been caught actually doing something, but the disappearances are almost too well timed."

Ymir remained silent. She remembered Krista's threats, about how her last cellmate had been killed. But she never said Krista had done the actual deed. And while Mikasa was more of a stranger than friend, the odds of her killing someone seemed lower than Krista.

"Ackerman always knows when I'm watching. It's a gift of her's I suppose. If she hadn't been found guilty I might have enlisted her at the prison as a guard."

Mikasa looked up in the direction of the camera, eyes dark and brow low. With a slow movement, Mikasa brought her thumb to her throat and slowly drew it across like a blade. Ymir felt her stomach drop but the Warden just laughed.

"Quiet the spirited woman. I've seen her record and every other month they find a new case linked with her. Eye witnesses, blood tests, security footage, all mysteriously connected to her."

Taking her pistol from it's holster, Ymir slowly moved forward.

"And Krista is no better. Why I get letters calling for her head from every single country, except Canada. She's killed a good handful in each well known area and possibly even more in countries we don't think of so quickly."

She was past the desk, Annie slowly approaching as well, going for the Warden's firearm that lay on the table. The second she had it Ymir moved closer.

"But these two new inmates, Ymir and Annie, have done practically nothing. Why they were sent here no one will ever truly understand. All they did was fail and try to make the best of their situation."

She was close enough now. Hair raising on the back of her neck, Ymir lifted the gun above her head and prepared to deal the stunning blow. But something felt, wrong.

"You're awfully quiet Officers. Don't you want to know why you were sent to my prison?"

Ymir froze, eyes darting to Annie who looked back just as quickly. _She knows._ Quickly, Ymir cracked the pistol over the woman's head. The blow is silent but she knows she's done damage when the Warden collapses in on herself, hitting the ground with a heavy sound.

Dropping the gun on the table Ymir brings her shaking hands up to her head. "She knew it was us Annie. She knew!"

"Calm down."

"She was planning something, this is part of her plan isn't it?" She pulled her hair, moving away from the body to pace nervously. She barely noticed Annie sneak around the body to look through the surveillance cameras.

"I have no idea how to work any of this,"

"We just killed the fucking Warden and you're worried about the fucking computers?"

Annie sighed heavily before turning on her friend, "You need to go sit down. Take a break and I'll deal with this,"

"You just said you don't know what to do,"

"Right. But I do know how to bullshit my way through a lot of things,"

"Annie,"

"Go sit down. I'll figure something out,"

Ymir groaned, looking back to the still body on the ground. She knew this wasn't going to end well at all.

"Fine I'll take a breather,"

"Thank you,"

Ymir turned away and began her search for someplace to calm down. The room wasn't very homey. There were papers thrown across the desks and stacks of boxes holding too many files. The screens provided the only lighting for the room but she couldn't find a switch for any actual lightbulbs to help her. Finally she found a chair not too covered in work and sat down after moving the papers onto the floor. She sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead.

"What have I gotten myself into this time?" Ymir mumbled.

She watched Annie click around on the computer sitting on the Warden's desk, tired eyes searching for something, anything to help them out of their situation.

"Ymir, you still have the key?"

"Yeah,"

"Let me see it,"

Ymir pulled the keycard from her pocket and tossed it to the desk. Annie picked it up quickly and waved the plastic in front of the computer. It was enough to spark Ymir's curiosity if anything.

"What are you doing?"

"It wants me to scan a card,"

"To do what?"

"I am not sure. Section A-L189 OR is what it's calling itself,"

"Okay, what does that mean?"

Annie shrugged, "There's a little map and everything is blinking on it so I'm hoping it's the cell controls,"

_"Annie,"_

Her friend took a deep breath and waved the card in front of the computer screen. They waited silently before a soft beeping sounded.

**"OVERRIDE ACCEPTED. ALL POWER ON LEVELS A THROUGH L HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED."**

It was quiet in the office, too quiet. Ymir found she missed that uneasy quiet when the alarms sounded, and the room lit up in red.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tags have been updated purely because when i first started writing this years ago i didn't recognize how potentially toxic it could seem to consider ymir and krista or annie and mikasa a pairing in this as neither is or was healthy,

Krista smiled when the familiar green light that glowed over the cell door turned off. It didn't stutter or break like she would have prefered, but the message behind its darkness was pleasing all the same.

Like liquid, she rose from her bed and wrapped her hands around the cold bars. With the tiniest bit of effort, she pulled on the steel and watched her prison open before her. Mikasa was already waiting for her outside the cell, arms crossed over her chest and an uncharacteristically happy smile on her face.

"They did it,"

Krista nodded, "Now it begins,"

-

"Can't you shut that noise off?"

"Yeah our luck isn't that great Ymir. We need to leave,"

"What about them?" Ymir pointed to the body on the floor, still dead to the high-pitched alarms going off.

Annie shook her head and ran to the door, pistol in hand as she peeked outside, "Leave them. We don't have time to deal with this,"

"We can't just leave!"

"So what do we do? Stay here until they wake up and kill us, or stay here and wait for security to come kill us?"

Ymir tried to answer but the words got stuck in her throat.

"We're leaving. We need to get to the elevator and find a way out,"

"What about Krista and Mikasa?"

"I don't care,"

Annie opened the door all the way, quickly running down the hall towards the elevator. With nothing else to do, Ymir pulled her own weapon from its holster and followed.

The hallway was just as empty as before, no sign of guards coming to protect the Warden. Ymir pushed the elevator button and readied her weapon. The grey elevator door opened seemlessly, revealing no one inside.

"Where's the big guy?" Ymir asked,

"Downstairs maybe? I imagine a sudden prison outbreak would cause a little chaos,"

"Is that your expert opinion?"

"You asked,"

_"Annie,"_

Her friend rolled her eyes and hit the button with an arrow on it. They waited in silence as the metal groaned quietly, forcing Ymir to remember where she was.

"We're so fucked,"

"I'm glad you've grown a pair since we started this,"

"Have I?"

"We're staging a prison escape,"

"Yeah well, that wasn't my plan, it was Krista's,"

"And we're going along with it because?"

Ymir's mouth hung open slightly as she struggled to think of a witty reply. In defeat she sighed and just answered with, "We don't have a choice,"

Finally the elevator stopped, doors opening slowly and greeting them with a fitting scenario.

The hallway wasn't filled with guards like they'd assumed but the few personel there were definitely aware of something being wrong. A tall woman noticed them, quickly running over and pushing past them.

"The Warden isn't answering her radio again. I'm going up to inform her the situation is under control. You two report to the wall and help quell the riot,"

The elevator shut behind hem before they could stumble put together a weak act.

"She's going to the warden,"

"We need to go,"

"Okay,"

They took off running, not that it was out of character, they didn't seem to attract much attention from the actual guards as a pair of seemingly new recruits ran madly down the halls.

Within minutes they burst through the door and ran out into the courtyard, greeted by a mob of prisoners causing havoc. They struggled to move around the chaos until a familiar face noticed them.

"You don't get to hide pigs!"

Ymir looked up just in time to grab Hanji's thin wrist and pull off the hat Ymir was wearing, "Hanji it's us! We need to find Krista,"

Immedietly the older prisoner recoiled, "Oh, she's near that little shack you love hanging around so much,"

Ignoring the hysterical cackling coming from someone in the group, Ymir thanked them and followed Annie away from the riot.

True to their word, Krista and Mikasa were waiting near the blind spot like Hanji said, both of them looking almost bored despite the shouting farther away.

"Finally," Mikasa muttered.

Krista was upon them quickly, running her smooth hands along Ymir's jaw as she cooed, "We knew you two could do it, and now the guards can barely keep this place secured,"

"Okay, what's next?" Annie asked impatiently, earning a sharp look from the shortest woman.

"Now we need to get outside the walls,"

"Okay, how?"

"With a car silly,"

Even Mikasa was surpised, "You have a plan then?"

"Always,"

Clearly unwilling to share details, they followed Krista along the wall toward a familiar gate.

"This is where they drop off the new inmates," Mikasa noted, "There's usually guards here,"

"Busy or dead," Krista replied, moving toward a locked door.

On Krista's command, Ymir swiped her card next to the card reader and was rewarded with a click. Mikasa opened it and let them all inside before following and closing it behind them quickly. It was dark, save for the few ceiling lights inside and the quiet mumbling of someone else inside the building.

Ymir almost yelped when she turned a corner and saw two guards standing next to a black van, their backs facing her. Two hands grabbed her waist and pulled her back, hiding her in the shadows where Krista's face was the only think she was able to see.

"I need you to get rid of them," She whispered.

"How?"

"You're the guard," Krista replied, "Act like it,"

Ymir looked at Annie who stood to go with her, clearly not willing to let her friend suffer this horrible decision alone. Mikasa and Krista moved back, in case the plan went south but stayed as hidden as possible.

Annie grabbed Ymir's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, "I have an idea, follow my lead,"

All at once, Annie took off running, startling Ymir before she followed as well, they alerted the guards almost instantly, their weapons were at the ready when Annie threw her hands up,

"They need help in the cells! Shadis is waiting,"

The shorter one, eyed her suspiciously, "We were told to guard the van,"

"He sent us to replace you," Ymir added, "He needs experienced guards to keep the prisoners in line,"

"Why didn't he call on the radio?"

Annie paused for a bit before answering, "He's in the middle of a prison riot, what so you think happens if they all hear him say there's a ready van nearby?"

The two guards looked to each other and back to them.

The short one nodded, "Alright, we'll go but you'll need these," he tossed a pair of keys to them, Ymir barely catching them in her hands. "Keep the van ready, the Warden's heading out after this is dealt with,"

They quickly moved to leave the building, walking right past Mikasa and Krista before the two were uoon them, crunching their skulls into the ground and only stopping when their bodies went still. Silence filled the room and Ymir was glad she couldn't see what they'd done.

Annie grabbed the keys and jumping into the van, Mikasa and Krista joined them quickly, the first getting into the drivers seat and starting the vehicle while Annie checked the back. Ymir was about to join her when a cold hand wrapped around her waist.

"You're doing well Ymir,"

She didn't reply, she didn't need to, Ymir could feel Krista didn't actually want her to reply, what she wanted eluded her still.

"There's food and water back here," Annie called, "If we're careful we can last awhile on these,"

Her voice snapped Ymir out of their moment, looking back at Krista who nodded once, before running back to help Annie.

"What kinda food?"

"Snack food," She said, tossing the coolers back into the trunk, "Nothing healthy but there's water so we're fine,"

Mikasa muttered something under her breath Ymir couldnt quite catch as she turned various knobs and dials on the dashboard. The radio lit up with chatter from the guard's radio's no doubt. Just panicked yelling about prisoners and injuries was all that could be made out.

By the time they were all ready to leave, Krista ordered Ymir to open the garage door before they all strapped in.

Mikasa didn't waste more time than necessary, hitting the gas and shooting out of the garage, out of their prison. The tires hit the dirt road with practiced ease and traveled farther and farther away from the structure.

It felt surreal to Ymir, they'd actually made it, they were free. She looked out the window where she was greeted by the hot sun and miles of desert, reminding her of the bus  ride she'd taken with Jean, Eren, and Marco. They were all gone now, trapped inside or used like tools for their escape. In a way she felt peace and relief, finally leaving the place where she'd come close to death so many time. Before she coule appreciate it, the moment was ruined by a final shout over the radio.

_"The Warden is dead! I repeat, the Warden is--"_

Krista shut the radio off.


End file.
